Ravens slip sees team almost lose a Draft pick

The Baltimore Ravens find themselves under pressure following a misstep in their injury-reporting process that nearly cost them a draft pick. The issue comes from how quarterback Lamar Jackson was listed during practice ahead of a recent game.

Jackson’s listing came during a week when he had already been designated a limited participant on Wednesday and Thursday in the lead-up to the team’s game against the Chicago Bears. His upgrade to full participation on Friday raised hopes he would play, but ultimately he did not.

Backup quarterback Tyler Huntley subsequently stepped in and led Baltimore to a 30-16 victory.

“We will be compliant moving forward”

However, this was far from the end of the story: after the game, the league handed the Ravens a fine of $100,000 after concluding the team had reported Jackson as a full practice participant on 24 October, when in reality he only took scout-team reps due to a right hamstring injury. After initial reports of full participation, the team amended his status the next day, definitively ruling him out of the game.

While the violation is merely administrative, it is significant; after investigation, the NFL determined it was a case of negligence rather than an attempt to gain an unfair advantage. Given this ruling, the Ravens were spared the more severe punishment of losing a draft pick. Reports confirm that the team has accepted the ruling and will not appeal the fine, effectively ending the case with their 2026 plans intact.

In a statement addressing the incident, Baltimore emphasised their commitment to operating within league guidelines: “It is critical that the Baltimore Ravens always operate with integrity and in full accordance with NFL guidelines. We clearly made an error regarding player injury reporting and cooperated transparently with the league’s investigation. We accept the decision by the NFL that we violated the policy and have taken steps to ensure that we will be compliant moving forward,” it wrote.

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Head coach John Harbaugh described the error as “an honest mistake,” adding: “Like I said early in the week, we were preparing for Lamar, and then when we found out he wasn’t playing, then we get ready for the next guy.”

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