The Ravens elevated two DTs from their practice squad for their Week 4 matchup with the Chiefs.
The Baltimore Ravens elevated defensive tackles C.J. Okoye and Josh Tupou from the practice squad for their Week 4 matchup with the Chiefs, adding some much-needed depth to a banged-up defensive line.
Nnamdi Madubuike (neck) and Broderick Washington (ankle) were placed on injured reserve on Saturday, while Travis Jones (knee) is questionable for Sunday’s game. Brent Urban was signed from the practice squad to the active roster in a corresponding move and will likely play a significant role as long as Madubuike and Washington are sidelined.
Elevating two players who can line up at nose tackle is a bad sign for Jones’ availability. The Ravens rarely, if ever, have six defensive linemen active on game day. Six are eligible to play on Sunday and Jones is the only one with an injury designation, making him most likely to be inactive. It’s possible that Jones will go through a pre-game warmup to see if he can play, as the Ravens can always deactivate Okoye or Tupou on game day instead.
Assuming that Jones does not play, both Okoye and Tupou will both see plenty of snaps against the Chiefs. The former will be making his NFL regular-season debut, while the latter appeared in three games for the Ravens in 2024.
For Okoye, Sunday will be an audition of sorts. He flashed in the preseason, and if he can hold up against an excellent Chiefs interior offensive line, he could earn a spot in the rotation until Madubuike and/or Washington are back. At 6-foot-6 and 370 pounds, Okoye has the potential to be a disruptive interior defender, but his inexperience could be a liability, too.
Tupou is more of a known quantity. At 350 pounds, he can take up space in the trenches, but he lacks the athleticism and finesse to make impact plays. It’s hard to imagine him being more than a replacement-level player, but even that would be enough from a player on the back end of the rotation.
The Ravens also promoted tight end Zaire Mitchell-Paden from the practice squad to fill the other roster vacancy from their IR placements. He was elevated for the first three games of the year and could only play on Sunday if added to the 53-man roster. Mitchell-Paden has filled some of Patrick Ricard’s role, though he does not pack the same punch as his veteran teammate.
Accordingly, Todd Monken has kept a lid on Mitchell-Paden’s snap count (15, 14, and 15 in Weeks 1, 2, and 3, respectively) while relying more on his tight ends and wide receivers with 11 and 12 personnel groupings. Still, as long as Ricard is out, Mitchell-Paden will have a place in the offense.
Category: General Sports
