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On Sunday the first-place Baltimore Ravens (6-2) defeated the Minnesota Vikings (3-5) in overtime, but lost yet another key player to a season-ending injury.
“We came out of (the game) pretty healthy except we had one major blow. DeShon Elliott is going to be out. He has, I think, a torn pec and a torn bicep,” said Harbaugh during his post-game press conference.
Elliott suffered the injury late in the fourth quarter on a pass to Vikings fullback C.J. Ham and helped to tackle Ham with one arm after the officials didn’t immediately blow the whistle.
“The guy is so courageous he gutted it out through all that,” Harbaugh added.
DeShon Elliott Has Suffered 3 Season-Ending Injuries
Elliott, 24, was selected by the Ravens in the sixth-round of the 2018 NFL Draft (No. 190 overall) out of Texas. Since being drafted he has played in 28 games (with 22 starts) and has contributed 109 total tackles, 3.5 sacks, eight quarterback hits and seven passes defensed. He had his first career interception earlier this season in a blowout win over the Los Angeles Chargers.
But he has had trouble staying healthy, missing his entire rookie year after he suffered a broken forearm during a preseason game against the Miami Dolphins.
Then he suffered a torn ACL against the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 6 of the 2019 season.
This year he also missed time with a concussion and a quad injury.
Per Pro Football Reference, he started all 16 games in 2020, during which time he recorded 80 total tackles (51 solo), with 2.5 sacks, three tackles for loss, five quarterback hits, four passes defensed and a pair of forced fumbles. On Sunday against the Vikings, he had six solo tackles, including two tackles for loss.
But considering that his rookie contract expires after this season, it’s very possible that Elliott has played his last game in a Ravens uniform. He will become an unrestricted free agent in early 2022.
DeShon Elliott: ‘I Know How to Handle Adversity’
Meanwhile, if his post-game tweet is any indication, Elliott is ready for the challenge of recovering from another serious injury, saying in part: “I know how to handle adversity and so does my team. Thank you for all the prayers and get well soon wishes. I’ll bounce back even better, I’ve been here before….”
Who Replaces DeShon Elliott?
With Elliott out of the remainder of the year, the Ravens will likely look to rookie third-round pick Brandon Stephens, who started two games when Elliott was sidelined earlier this season. Stephen was selected No. 104 overall in the 2021 NFL Draft and has played on defense and on special teams in all eight games this season. Entering Sunday’s contest he had 29 total tackles (17 solo), with one tackle for loss and one quarterback hit.
He added three tackles vs. the Vikings.
In addition to Stephens, the team also has Geno Stone, Ar’Darius Washington and veteran Anthony Levine in the fold at the safety position.
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