Mailbag: What's Lamar Jackson's Timeline…

Mink: Lamar Jackson has now missed two-and-a-half games because of his ankle injury. The short answer is I don’t know when he’ll be back, but I’ll add some context.

Of course, everybody wants Jackson back on the field as soon as possible. The Ravens offense isn’t the same without him, and with a critical game against the AFC North rival Cincinnati Bengals up next, his return looms large.

However, it’s also important to have a healthy Jackson. I’m no doctor, but Jackson’s ankle injury looked painful. Jackson himself confirmed as much.

Injuries take time to heal, and it can be difficult to predict how quickly that happens. What may seem day-to-day can turn into week-to-week.

Head Coach Jesse Minter said Jackson is “working his tail off to get back.” As difficult as it is, I think we all need to try to be patient as his recovery continues.

“He’s working to get back,” wide receiver Zay Flowers said Wednesday. “He’s working every day, doing what he needs to do to get back on the field. That’s all you can do when you’re injured.”

Brown: Hawkins was a starter on a Patriots team that reached the Super Bowl last season. He’s only six games into learning a new system with the Ravens and may be searching for his comfort zone. Through Week 6, Pro Football Focus ranked Hawkins 47th out of 50 among safeties who have played at least 50% of defensive snaps.

I understand why the secondary is under the microscope after giving up a 33-yard completion to Browns wideout Jerry Jeudy that led to the game-winning field goal this past Sunday. Jeudy was left wide open on the play, and Minter said there were multiple things that went wrong.

“There’s a bunch of things based on the coverage that we were in that we could have done better,” Minter said.

The Bengals, led by Joe Burrow, Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins, will present a serious test for Baltimore’s pass defense. Hawkins has played 81.8% of the defensive snaps, Malaki Starks (97.3%) has been on the field even more, and Keondre Jackson has played just one defensive snap this season. We’ll see if playing time changes for Hawkins or anyone else against the Bengals on Sunday.

Mink: I won’t rule out another trade deadline move because General Manager Eric DeCosta has certainly shown his aggressiveness. He dealt a 2028 second-round pick and more to get center Cam Jurgens. He tried to swing the biggest trade in Ravens history for Maxx Crosby and then pivoted to signing Trey Hendrickson to the largest free agent deal in franchise history. DeCosta is going for it.

With that said, the Ravens currently have $2.16 million in salary cap space, according to OvertheCap.com. That’s the third-lowest number in the league and could restrict what Baltimore is able to do.

I also don’t know that I see any obvious roster holes as it stands now. Center was a big one after the spate of injuries, and DeCosta attacked that need. I think Jurgens will be the Ravens’ biggest in-season trade. Maybe there will be another modest one done before the deadline, but I wouldn’t expect fireworks.

Brown: The Ravens’ depth at wide receiver makes it difficult for Elijah Sarratt to have a role on game days.

Fellow rookie Ja’Kobi Lane was the star of training camp and preseason and cemented his place in the wide receiver rotation. In addition to Flowers, Rashod Bateman and Devontez Walker, LaJohntay Wester dresses as the team’s No. 1 punt returner.

If Baltimore’s wide receivers stay healthy, playing time for Sarratt will be hard to come by as a rookie. For now, his job is to keep improving every week so he can take advantage of the opportunity if his number is called.

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