Ravens coach John Harbaugh said Thursday that he wouldn’t rule out inside linebacker and leading tackler Roquan Smith for Monday night’s game against the host Los Angeles Chargers “by any stretch.” Two days later, that remained the case.
Smith, who suffered a hamstring injury in last week’s loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers and hasn’t practiced all week, is listed as questionable for the critical AFC showdown.
Smith leads Baltimore (7-4) in tackles (110) while contributing an interception, three pass breakups, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery. The two-time All Pro has also been incredibly durable, having not missed a regular-season game because of injury since 2019, his second year in the league with the Chicago Bears.
If he can’t play, the Ravens’ options are less than ideal, particularly with a defense that has struggled in the middle of the field.
Baltimore could shift linebacker Malik Harrison to more of an inside role to fill in for Smith. They also have Chris Board, who plays primarily on special teams, and Kristian Welch, whom they signed to the 53-man roster after waiving struggling safety Eddie Jackson on Saturday.
Or the Ravens could deploy a dime linebacker look, though that would make them more vulnerable against the run against an offense led by former Baltimore coordinator Greg Roman and running backs J.K. Dobbins and Gus Edwards.
“If ‘Ro’ can’t go, it’ll be linebacker by committee, depending on what we want to run and what they want to run, as well,” defensive coordinator Zach Orr said Friday. “You’ll see a mixture of guys in there.”
The only players the Ravens will definitely be without are cornerback Arthur Maulet (calf) and rookie safety Sanoussi Kane (ankle).
Defensive tackle Travis Jones (ankle) is listed as questionable after being limited during Saturday’s walk-through practice. Pro Bowl center Tyler Linderbaum (back) was also limited and is questionable.
The Chargers (7-3), meanwhile, will be without former Ravens tight end Hayden Hurst (hip) and linebacker Denzel Perryman (groin), who ranks third on the team with 54 tackles.
Outside linebacker Khalil Mack (groin), wide receiver Ladd McConkey (shoulder), outside linebacker Bud Dupree (foot), safety AJ Finley (ankle) and cornerback Cam Hart (concussion/ankle) are all questionable. The 33-year-old Mack, who has 4 1/2 sacks in a resurgent season, missed last week’s game.
Eddie Jackson waived: Eddie Jackson’s Ravens career didn’t last long.
The Ravens waived the veteran safety Saturday, less than a week after he didn’t make the trip to Pittsburgh for Sunday’s game against the Steelers.
Harbaugh declined to say why Jackson did not travel with the team.
“I really don’t have anything to say about those personnel decisions that get made, or why they get made,” he said. “Some of those things are just in-house conversations that we have, and it stops there.”
Jackson participated in practice Friday in Owings Mills but a day later was cut loose before the team traveled to Los Angeles for Monday night’s game against the Chargers.
Baltimore signed the 30-year-old former All-Pro and two-time Pro Bowl selection to a one-year, $1.5 million contract in July as a replacement for Geno Stone, who signed with the Cincinnati Bengals in the offseason. But Jackson’s play was underwhelming from the start and he seemed to get worse as the season wore on.
Jackson had 30 tackles in eight games for the Ravens but struggled mightily against the pass. He allowed a passer rating of 144.9 in coverage and surrendered 15.6 yards per catch, per Pro Football Focus, which has him ranked 83rd out of 89 safeties. He also had just one pass breakup.
One of Jackson’s worst games came in Week 7 against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The Ravens won, 41-31, but Jackson allowed four catches on five targets for 75 yards.
A week later was even worse. Starting over a likewise struggling Marcus Williams, he was burned for six catches on 10 targets for 79 yards and two touchdowns and dropped two would-be interceptions in the Ravens’ 29-24 loss to the Cleveland Browns.
Jackson was a healthy scratch the following week in Baltimore’s win over the Denver Broncos, then played just 16 snaps in a Thursday night win over the Bengals four days later in what turned out to be his final game in Baltimore.
His departure is only the latest in a series of moves for what has been the NFL’s worst pass defense. Baltimore has also flip-flopped between Williams and Ar’Darius Washington at safety alongside All-Pro Kyle Hamilton. Washington will be the starter going forward, Harbaugh said.
Have a news tip? Contact Brian Wacker at bwacker@baltsun.com, 410-332-6200 and x.com/brianwacker1.