ExtremeRavens Posted 12 hours ago Posted 12 hours ago In what sounded like a move somewhere between gamesmanship and expectation tempering, Ravens coach John Harbaugh alluded to Jaire Alexander’s potential return for their Week 3 prime-time matchup against the Detroit Lions. “It’ll be much sooner rather than later. Can’t wait until he’s out there,” Harbaugh said at his Monday news conference. “Maybe it’ll be this week.” The big-name cornerback who was lured to Baltimore in the offseason hasn’t made the immediate splash many had anticipated. After a dismal debut in Buffalo in which he allowed three catches for 100 yards, Alexander was a healthy scratch Sunday against Cleveland. Harbaugh and defensive coordinator Zach Orr cited the three weeks of practice Alexander missed in August and September that left him unprepared for the Bills. He’s healthy, they said, having recovered from right knee surgery in January. He’s just not yet in football shape. “But it’s going to be when he feels, and when you can see, that he’s right to go out there and just play like top-level Jaire,” Harbaugh said. “I don’t want to put him in a situation where he’s got to try to overcome not quite being as right as he can be, especially if we’ve got guys that can play well.” Thus was the case against an overmatched Cleveland. It might not be so simple heading into Monday night with a potent Lions offense in town. All-Pro cornerback Marlon Humphrey suffered a groin injury early in the fourth quarter on Sunday. Harbaugh declined to comment on his status, revealing only that it will not put him out for the season. If he can’t go, the Ravens likely run with Nate Wiggins, who nearly had a pick six on an errant throw from the 40-year-old Joe Flacco, and Chidobe Awuzie. Then their options are Alexander, if they can trust him, and T.J. Tampa, an inexperienced sophomore who made a nice fourth-down pass breakup against the Browns. If Alexander needs another week, expect Baltimore to get funky in how the back end shuffles against the fourth most productive passing offense in the NFL through two weeks. Perhaps undrafted rookie Keyon Martin sees reps after his one defensive snap at Buffalo then 22 in a blowout against Cleveland. All-Pro Swiss Army knife Kyle Hamilton could also drop down toward the line of scrimmage while Sanoussi Kane or Reuben Lowery, another UDFA, backfill. Baltimore entered the season touting its five first-round picks in the secondary. Should Humphrey and Alexander miss Monday night’s game, that number drops to a slightly less-impressive three, rounded out by inexperience. Meanwhile, the Lions have five pass catchers averaging double-digit yards per reception. Three eclipsed 100 combined yards through the air over two games, paced by Amon-Ra St. Brown’s 160 on 13 catches. A healthy Alexander, “playing like top-level Jaire,” as Harbaugh said, could be a much-needed boost. But that decision likely won’t arrive until the end of the week. The longtime coach never likes to show his hand. “I wish it was really black and white,” Harbaugh said. “I think he’ll be out there soon.” That decision won’t fall solely on the coach’s read of how Alexander looks in practice. Harbaugh noted there will be some shared dialogue about his timeline. Those comments came less than 24 hours after Harbaugh shared that he was the one who decided to scratch Alexander, even after the cornerback pushed back some. “He wasn’t quite there yet,” Harbaugh said. “It’s good now, though. I don’t know, we’ll just see him in practice, he and I will talk about it, and we’ll get him out there just as soon as we can. But I think it’s going to be real soon.” Have a news tip? Contact Sam Cohn at scohn@baltsun.com, 410-332-6200 and x.com/samdcohn. View the full article Quote
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