As expected, the Ravens will not be seeing any action this year from of one of their offseason acquisitions. Right tackle Ja’Wuan James was not added to the team’s 53-man roster, ending his 21-day window to be activated, per ESPN’s Field Yates. The news confirms that his season is over.
While it was never truly expected that James would be able to recover from a torn Achilles in time to suit up this year, the potential existed when he started practicing on December 8. The 29-year-old signed a two-year, $9M deal with Baltimore in June in an attempt to add experienced depth at the tackle position after trading away Orlando Brown Jr.
Without James — and, due to another season-ending surgery performed on starting left tackle Ronnie Stanley in October — veteran Alejandro Villanueva has shifted to his more familiar position at left tackle. That has left the Ravens with a rotation of Patrick Mekari and Tyre Phillips to man the opposite tackle spot, as they have each been in and out of the lineup with injuries.
The Ravens will carry on with their current offensive line as they try to end a four-game losing streak and remain in playoff contention against the Rams in Week 17.
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