BALTIMORE — Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson has been activated off the reserve/COVID-19 list, the team announced Friday, and is expected to make his training camp debut Saturday.
Jackson returned to the team facility Friday morning, 10 days after he tested positive for the coronavirus for the second time, but was not cleared for a morning practice.
Coach John Harbaugh said Jackson “had to do some things with testing and whatever else the processes are,” but did not have an update on his availability. Dr. Andrew Tucker, the Ravens’ head team physician, told reporters last year that various cardiac tests were in place last season to monitor the heart and overall health of a player after a positive test.
“That’s all in the protocol, and he’ll be back as soon as he can be,” Harbaugh said. “I’m excited for that. Looking forward to it.”
Jackson has missed eight practices, including three in pads, while isolating after his positive test. According to Harbaugh, Jackson tested negative for several days before returning a positive test on the eve of camp.
Jackson, who first tested positive in November, declined to say in June whether he was vaccinated, calling it a “personal decision.”
In Jackson’s absence, a banged-up offense has struggled in recent days. Coordinator Greg Roman indicated Wednesday that Jackson would have to catch up not only physically but also with the team’s offensive installation, and that the Ravens would have to accommodate his late start. The team opens its preseason schedule Aug. 14 against the visiting New Orleans Saints.
“These are the days you work on those things and build your foundation under your football team,” Harbaugh said Friday. “That’s what training camp is.”
Running back Gus Edwards, who tested positive before the start of camp, was a full participant in his first practice back, and impressed Harbaugh with his readiness.
“He looked real good,” Harbaugh said. “You could tell he was working out. He was able to work out. It’s different. He might’ve gotten [the virus] two weeks before he came back. You know, you just never know when guys got it. So I think he was able to actually train on his own in the last 10 days, and he sure looked like it.”
