As the Ravens prepare for Thursday's first full-squad practice, starting quarterback Joe Flacco is dealing with back soreness that could limit him early in camp, multiple sources confirmed Wednesday.
Team officials haven't commented on the injury or its severity, but sources say it's possible that Flacco is either held out of a few practices this week as he continues to recover, or takes fewer repetitions during early training camp workouts.
The Ravens have only two other quarterbacks on their roster: veteran backup Ryan Mallett and Dustin Vaughan. That they haven't added another quarterback for camp could be an indication that the team isn't too concerned about Flacco's status.
Ravens coach John Harbaugh is expected to speak with reporters after Thursday's practice. Flacco, 32, is scheduled to speak to the media after Friday's workout.
Flacco, who is entering his 10th season as the Ravens starter, has missed just six games in his career. He tore the ACL and MCL in his left knee during the 2015 season, ending his streak of 137 consecutive starts.
Flacco returned from the knee injury in time to participate in the first practice of training camp last year. He played all 16 games in 2016, but had one of the most disappointing seasons of his career, averaging 6.42 yards per reception and throwing for 20 touchdowns compared to 15 interceptions.
He didn't use the knee injury as an excuse for his uneven 2016 performance, but Flacco did acknowledge how beneficial it was to have a healthy offseason where he didn't have to rehabilitate.
The Ravens start training camp with some questions on offense, specifically along the offensive line and at tight end, where they've dealt with some injuries.
However, after reporting to the Under Armour Performance Center on Wednesday, top returning receiver Mike Wallace expressed confidence in the potential of the offense and cited Flacco as a major reason why.
"He's the guy that makes the whole offense work, so just spending more time with him and him being healthy for the whole offseason and being able to work with him even more, it just puts us in a better position and a better place," Wallace said. "Even from day one last year in training camp, he was ready to go. But for him to be healthy and not to have to worry about his knee at all and getting time from day one in (organized team activities) and everything, we all feel a little confident."
The Flacco news comes a day after the Ravens learned that running back Kenneth Dixon will miss the entire 2017 season following knee surgery. The Ravens have also lost tight end Dennis Pitta (hip) and cornerback Tavon Young (knee) to season-ending injuries. Pitta has since been released. Tight end Darren Waller also was suspended for the entire season after being found in violation of the league's substance-abuse policy.
