Ravens linebacker Ray Lewis will have surgery on his torn triceps Wednesday, but it may not mean the end of the season.
Ravens coach John Harbaugh said that Lewis has been placed on injured reserve with the designation to return, which means he would be eligible to start practicing with the team after six weeks and resume playing after eight weeks. Harbaugh admitted to not having much of an idea about whether or not Lewis would be able to make it back for the end of the regular season and, the Ravens hope, playoffs, but given the point of the season there’s not much for the Ravens to lose by using the designation right now since it won’t help them much in the weeks to come.
For now, the Ravens plan to use Jameel McClain inside with Dannell Ellerbee taking over the spot McClain is vacating on the outside. They may have another option on the outside eventually, however.
Lewis’ exit from the defense comes just as Terrell Suggs is returning to the fold. Harbaugh also confirmed that Suggs will begin practicing on Wednesday, starting the clock on the 21-day window they’ll have to activate him from the PUP list. It would be a stretch to expect to see much from Suggs right out of the gate, but the fact that his Achilles has healed enough for him to resume football activities of any kind is a good sign for his chances of helping the team win games at some point this season.