The Baltimore Ravens spent Saturday tightening their roster for Jesse Minter’s first regular-season game as head coach, a Week 1 trip to Indianapolis that already carries extra weight because of injuries on defense.
The club used standard practice-squad elevations on wide receiver Chris Moore and inside linebacker Carl Jones, released cornerback Lardarius Webb Jr. from the practice squad, and signed linebacker Jamon Johnson back to that unit in his place, via Jeff Zrebiec of The Athletic.
Those four moves give Baltimore extra bodies at receiver and linebacker while keeping the practice squad stocked for the rest of the week.
Moore’s return to the active roster is familiar. The 33-year-old was a fourth-round pick of the Ravens in 2016 and has spent pieces of his career in Houston, Tennessee, Arizona, and Washington before circling back to Baltimore.
Last season, he appeared in 14 games for the Ravens and finished with 11 receptions for 207 yards and a touchdown. With Devontez Walker listed as questionable after a groin issue that limited him all week, Moore gives Lamar Jackson another veteran option who knows the building and can contribute on offense or special teams if needed.
Jones is the more pressing addition on defense. The former UCLA linebacker spent last season bouncing between Chicago’s practice squad and active roster before Baltimore claimed him off waivers in December. He has mostly been a special-teams contributor, but the timing matters.
All-Pro defensive tackle Nnamdi Madubuike is out with a neck injury and inside linebacker Teddye Buchanan is still sidelined after a knee injury. Elevating Jones gives coordinator Anthony Weaver another body next to Roquan Smith and Trenton Simpson against a Colts offense that will lean on Jonathan Taylor.
The corresponding practice-squad shuffle is straightforward. Webb Jr., the undrafted son of longtime Ravens corner Lardarius Webb, had been brought back after final cuts and flashed on special teams in the preseason.
Baltimore chose instead to reclaim Johnson, a Baltimore native who played at St. Frances Academy, won two national titles at Georgia, finished at Kentucky, and appeared in a handful of games for Green Bay last year.
Johnson was in camp with the Ravens this summer and now returns as insurance at a position thinned by injury.
None of the moves change the Week 1 starter list, but they do change how many players Minter can dress. Two practice-squad elevations mean the Ravens must declare seven inactives Sunday.
Madubuike and Buchanan are already out. Walker is a likely third. The remaining spots will be filled from the usual mix of extra offensive linemen and young defensive backs.
For a first game under a new coach, the transactions are modest, practical, and aimed at surviving the opener rather than remaking the roster.
How much Moore and Jones actually play in Indianapolis will depend on whether Walker is active and how quickly Baltimore’s injured linebackers return.
