The Baltimore Ravens defense has been struggling this season. A large part of the problem has been injuries to key players, putting more of the load on younger and less experienced backups, and forcing Baltimore to turn to free agents.
While the defense has shown some improvements over the last two weeks, they continue to get battered with injuries on top of injuries. After losing safety Tony Jefferson to a season-ending knee injury, DeShon Elliott appears to have suffered the same fate in Week 6’s win over the Cincinnati Bengals.
Coach John Harbaugh gave an update on Monday on Elliott’s injury. While he said the team doesn’t have the definitive diagnosis, the preliminary approach is that his season is over before it ever really began.
Elliott and Chuck Clark were expected to fill in for Jefferson. Clark wore the radio helmet against the Bengals, relaying calls for the defense. Elliott made a spectacular play against Cincinnati, knocking the ball out of a receiver’s hands and stopping a big play.
Elliott missed all of last season with a broken forearm suffered in the preseason. With Elliott now considered out for this season, Baltimore will have to head back to the free agent market to find some additional depth at safety. Though Clark and Anthony Levine should be expected to get more snaps with Elliott’s injury, the Ravens secondary is woefully thin because of injuries to Jefferson, Elliott, Jimmy Smith and Tavon Young.
