Ja’Kobi Lane’s Week 1 injury was by far the biggest disappointment coming out of the Baltimore Ravens’ season-opening win. The third-round pick had lit up the practice field throughout training camp and flashed in his limited preseason action, raising expectations for a rookie breakout in Declan Doyle’s new offense.
But a fractured wrist that required surgery forced Lane onto injured reserve. His mandatory stay of four weeks has now elapsed, making him eligible to re-join his teammates at practice
this week. He is expected to do so on Wednesday, per NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo.
This would be the first player the Ravens have designated to return from IR this year, so here is a quick reminder on the rules. Teams can activate up to eight players from IR during the regular season. Players can first be designated to return to practice, opening up a three-week window for them to participate with the team without counting against the 53-man roster. After that period elapses, those players must be activated or revert to season-ending IR.
The latter should not be an issue for Lane, who was praised by head coach Jesse Minter on Monday for keeping up with his conditioning while sidelined. The Ravens released Chris Moore on Tuesday, seemingly opening up a spot for Lane. The 6-foot-5 rookie could even be activated directly off IR instead of ramping up in practice for a few weeks.
Even amid Lane’s absence (and Zay Flower’s hamstring injury), Baltimore’s receiving corps has produced plenty over the last few weeks. Lane will only take the group’s ceiling even higher. He drew three targets on just 18 routes in his NFL debut and should play a major role in the red zone moving forward. His availability as a quarterback-friendly target could also be a boon for backup quarterback Tyler Huntley should he be tapped to start again in Week 6.
