The Baltimore Ravens can’t seem to catch much of a break this season. Though it appeared the Ravens were finally finished with their COVID-19 outbreak, the list is once again growing. Baltimore announced it has placed wide receiver Marquise Brown, Miles Boykin, and James Proche on the Reserve/COVID-19 list.
Per Jeff Zrebiec of The Athletic, all three players are considered to be “close contact” with a coach that tested positive. The contact came on Monday, per Zrebiec, which would mean all three players could be eligible to play Sunday against the Jacksonville Jaguars as long as they don’t show symptoms or test positive themselves.
The difference in the two designations means a big difference in the minimum amount of time a player is held out per the NFL’s protocols. A positive test requires a player to be held out a minimum of 10 days or a certain number of positive tests while a “close contact” is held out for a minimum of five days.
It’s a potentially big blow to Baltimore’s offense. If all three players end up missing Sunday’s game, that would leave the Ravens with just four wide receivers available on the 53-man roster. Though that would mean guys like Dez Bryant and Devin Duvernay would have a more prominent role on the offense, it would give Baltimore next to no depth at the position.
The Ravens had found some rhythm Monday night against the Cleveland Browns, beating their division rival 47-42. Brown, especially, had an up-and-down evening, dropping several passes before catching a 44-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Lamar Jackson that put Baltimore right back into the game. But for his inconsistencies, Brown has big-play potential defenses have to take into account each game. Taking that away would dramatically alter how the Jaguars’ defense plays the Ravens’ offense, potentially causing the rushing game to stagnate with more of a focus on it.
