Report: Ravens WR Jacoby Jones to miss 4-6 weeks with knee injury
By Brad Rowland
After a fluke collision during Thursday night’s season opener with the Denver Broncos, the Baltimore Ravens could be without their punt returner (and wide receiver) for the next few weeks.
Pro Football Talk broke this news on Twitter on Friday night:
Ravens receiver Jacoby Jones is likely out 4-6 weeks with MCL sprain, per league source.
— ProFootballTalk (@ProFootballTalk) September 7, 2013
This isn’t devastating news for the Ravens, but it certainly isn’t positive either. The Ravens have depleted core of pass catchers with Dennis Pitta out for the season and Ed Dickson banged up (not to mention the loss of Anquan Boldin in the offseason), and it appears that the team will be forced to turn to Marlon Brown to fill Jones’ role on the outside.
In the past year, the most famous role for Jacoby Jones was certainly his appearance on “Dancing with the Stars”, but he also contributed 30 catches for over 400 yards during the 2012 season. His career as a receiver has never fully taken off, but he is an above-average kick/punt returner, and Baltimore’s hope was that he could take some of the focus off of Torrey Smith.
The Ravens are strapped with a lack of options with Jones, as they’ve already used their “designated” tag (on Dennis Pitta) that would allow them to replace a player on the active roster. As a result, they’ll probably be forced to carry Jones despite his inactivity and go forward while down a roster spot. Stay tuned for more information as it becomes available.