The Baltimore Ravens will kick off their regular season on Sunday when they take on the Indianapolis Colts at Lucas Oil Stadium, and the Birds might be getting a key player back.
Head coach Jesse Minter spoke to the media on Monday and hasn’t ruled out defensive tackle Nnamdi Madubuike.
“He’s been involved more and more every day,” Minter said about Madubuike, via ESPN’s Jamison Hensley.
The Ravens Are Looking to Get Madubuike Back After Missing 15 Games Last Season
Madubuike suffered a season-ending neck injury in Week 2 against the Cleveland Browns last season, which required him to have surgery.
The 28-year-old defensive tackle passed his physical at the end of July, but Minter wants to make sure they don’t rush him back.
“I think that is our job to protect the player and look out for the player. We’ll try to do that to the best of our ability,” Minter said in late July, via the team’s website.
“It’s still a process to get ready to play football. That’s something we’re going to work through over these next couple weeks. I think everybody has a good feeling about where he’s at and where it’s headed. But again, with these things, there’s a timeline involved.”
Madubuike has been with the Ravens for the last six seasons, and the NFL has named him to two Pro Bowls in 2023 and 2024. He has 203 combined tackles, 42 tackles for loss and 30 sacks in 78 career games.
The 6-foot-3 defensive tackle signed a four-year, $98 million deal in March 2024.
Baltimore’s defense could be about how Madubuike performs this season and whether he can return to his 2025 form, when he recorded 11 tackles for loss and 6.5 sacks.
Daniel Jones is Coming Back From an Achilles Tear
While the Ravens are dealing with their own injury issues, the Colts are also managing injuries to their starting quarterback, Daniel Jones. Jones tore his Achilles in early December during a 36-19 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars. Despite it being nine months since his injury, he is set to suit up for the Colts. Minter believes the Ravens will see the best version of Jones in this game.
“It doesn’t seem like it takes as long as it used to with the science and the way that these guys can recover. So I feel like we’ll probably see the best version of Daniel,” Minter said.
Jones has been in the NFL since 2019 when the New York Giants drafted him in the first round. However, he found his footing with the Colts last season, throwing for 3,101 yards and 19 touchdowns in 13 games.
The Colts went 8-5 with Jones as their starter, and if he hadn’t gotten injured, they likely would have made the playoffs. So the Ravens will need to be prepared to face a good quarterback on Sunday.
Ravens Deliver Hopeful Injury Update on $98m Star Before Colts Clash