Going into the 2008 season, there were certain Ravens who were irreplaceable, such as inside linebacker Ray Lewis, safety Ed Reed and defensive tackle Haloti Ngata.
You can now put cornerback Fabian Washington on that list. Yes, Fabian Washington.
The Ravens have reached a point where they cannot afford any more injuries in the secondary, and the Ravens are not sure whether Washington can play Saturday night against the Dallas Cowboys because of an injured hamstring.
Washington suffered the injury in the Pittsburgh game Sunday and wasn't on the field during the Steelers' 12-play, 92-yard game-winning drive at the end of the fourth quarter.
Unfortunately for the Ravens, Washington was playing his best football of the season. The Steelers tried to test him deep several times but had no success. Washington had five tackles and knocked down three passes before leaving the game with about 10 minutes remaining.
If Washington, who is filling in for the injured Chris McAlister, can't play, the Ravens will likely start Frank Walker in his place. Walker is the team's No. 4 cornerback.
Walker will definitely get tested by the Cowboys. Physically, the Ravens' cornerback tandem of Samari Rolle (6 feet, 175 pounds) and Walker (5-11, 196) don't match up well with Dallas wide receivers Terrell Owens (6-3, 218) and Roy Williams (6-3, 211).
Another matchup problem in the secondary is Ravens' safety Jim Leonhard (5-8, 186) against Cowboys tight end Jason Witten (6-5, 262).
"[Depth is] always a great thing on any team. It just so happens that we've got major depth a corner," Walker said. "We've got a lot of guys that can play.
"I feel like no matter what happens to me, Fabian or the next guy, we'll be ready - period. That's just the way guys go about it over here."
Washington said, "We've got some very good corners, talented corners on this team."
A few weeks ago, the thought of the Ravens going into Dallas to play the last game at Texas Stadium was a no-win proposition for the Ravens.
But at the beginning of last week, it seemed as if the Cowboys were about to implode with Owens saying quarterback Tony Romo and Witten had conspired in an effort to get the tight end more receptions than Owens.
But after watching Dallas whip up on the New York Giants on Sunday night, the Ravens will still have a tough assignment. Not only are the Cowboys still in playoff contention, but they also physically handled the Giants' offensive line, one of the best in the NFL.
