Ravens activate 2 players off IR for Texans game

Baltimore Ravens fans did not get the injury news they were hoping for, with Mark Andrews ruled out for Saturday’s AFC Divisional Round matchup versus the Houston Texans. Reinforcements are coming, however.

“The Ravens have activated WR Devin Duvernay and DB Ar’Darius Washington off {Injured Reserve} and both should play against the Texans,” NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport posted on X.

Baltimore is seen by many as the best team in the NFL, following dominant wins over the Miami Dolphins and San Francisco 49ers during the last month of the regular season. Though, that doesn’t mean the team is all set. Depth is incredibly important at this time of the year.

In fact, depth is not even the right term. Duvernay is a former All-Pro and two-time Pro Bowl special teams selection, who can make the life of Lamar Jackson and the offense much easier thanks to his blistering speed. He has been out with a back injury since Dec. 10, so it is unclear what kind of workload fans should expect for the former third-round pick.

Ar’Darius Washington (chest) has been on the IR even longer than Devin Duvernay, last playing in Week 2’s win against the Cincinnati Bengals. He had 11 combined tackles, one sack, two passes defensed and one tackle for loss in a super-small 2023 sample size. His return is particularly notable with the absence of star cornerback Marlon Humphrey (calf).

Duvernay and Washington, and the Ravens as a whole, must quickly shake off any existing rust and prepare to go to war with CJ Stroud and the upstart Texans. Kickoff is set for Saturday at 4:30 p.m. ET in M&T Bank Stadium.