Ravens' latest roster designation could remove a contender from a training camp position battle before it ever starts

Coach John Harbaugh disclosed that Jones was recovering from a shoulder labrum surgery in the spring, but it's what Harbaugh said at the time that should at least start to raise some eyebrows for their rookie's prospects to be ready in the near future. 

"(Jones) had a labrum/shoulder issue, I don't think you guys were aware of. I don't think it's going to clear up now. Probably be looking at training camp, maybe earlier, we'll just have to see how it goes. He's not going to practice in the immediate future," said Harbaugh. 

"Maybe earlier" is officially off the table. For rookies, training camp is here. And for Harbaugh's outlook on the recovery back in May, the question now becomes if he meant the team expected him to be ready for the start of training camp or not. Prepping for life in the NFL is hard enough as a rookie, but throwing rehab and missed time on top of the pile can snowball quite quickly — which makes Jones' status one to watch closely. 

There won't appear to be an end in sight until it happens. The good news for Baltimore is that a player can be activated off of the NFI list at any point. So perhaps the concern will dissipate quickly. If it doesn't, it puts Jones at even steeper odds to be a contributor in 2025.