Just about every member of the Baltimore Ravens draft class and undrafted rookies took the field for the first time as professionals on Sunday for the first day of the team's rookie minicamp. The one notable nonparticipant was third-round offensive lineman Emery Jones Jr. who will be sidelined for "a little while" with a shoulder injury according to head coach John Harbaugh.
"He had a labrum, shoulder issue that I think you guys were aware of," Harbaugh said. "I don't think that's going to clear up now. [We'll] probably be looking at training camp, maybe earlier but we'll just have to see how it goes. He's not going to practice in the immediate future."
The Ravens will have their mandatory from June 17-19 and while Harbaugh didn't definitively rule him out, he also said "I don't think we'll probably push it."
"If he can do it, we'll do it but I'm not thinking about pushing it there if it's not totally ready," Harbaugh said.
The Ravens used a top 100 pick on Jones by selecting him No. 91 overall out of LSU where he was a three-year starter at right tackle on one of the best offensive lines in the country. They envision him as a versatile depth piece at both guard and tackle who could develop into a starter at some point.
"We see him as a possible swing guy," head coach John Harbaugh said in a post-draft press conference after he was selected. "That's why I thought the pick was so good that [general manager] Eric [DeCosta] made. He's got the chance to be a swing backup tackle for us right away, but he also has a chance to go in there at guard and play. So, we're going to put him in at guard too, see how he does, and just get a feel for him once he starts practicing, get a feel for where he can help us, and we think he play guard and tackle."
In a recent appearance on The Lounge podcast, DeCosta recently reflected on what made him such an appealing prospect during the pre-draft process and raved about the tenacity he showed during practices at the 2025 Reese's Senior Bowl which is a talent pool they annually pull from and did so with six members of their 11-man draft class.
"Watching Emery at the Senior Bowl and watching his physicality, that to me tells you that he's going to be an excellent NFL offensive linemen," DeCosta said. "Whether its right tackle, left tackle, guard, it doesn't really matter. He's got the strength, the competitiveness, the quickness, the feet, the body, the frame, the experience, all those things to be a starting offensive lineman. Honestly, when you watch him finish plays, that's a separator for me."
The only starting spot on the Ravens' offensive line that is definitively up for grabs, although Andrew Vorhees is the incumbent and early favorite, is left guard. Since full pads don't come on until training camp, when offensive line play can be properly and fully assessed, Jones Jr. won't lose much, if any, ground as he continues to recover.
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