The status of a pair of Ravens starters is up in the air after defensive tackle Kelly Gregg and tight end L.J. Smith each left Monday night's 24-23 victory over the New York Jets at M&T Bank Stadium with injuries.
Gregg is dealing with a shoulder injury and is not expected to play Saturday against the Carolina Panthers. Although coach John Harbaugh said Gregg would have been available to play if Saturday's contest had been a regular-season game, Harbaugh conceded that the injury was alarming.
"We had a little bit of a scare with Kelly because we weren't sure exactly what it was, and it turned out to be just kind of a nagging deal," he said. "As you get older, those things get a little sore. So he's going to be OK. He's going to be fine. We're going to be smart with him through the rest of the preseason. He's probably had plenty of reps. So we'll just kind of tune him up and get him ready for the regular season."
Smith pulled his left hamstring during Monday's win and will also likely miss Saturday's contest.
"What probably happened was he had the hip flexor, the groin, the sports hernia, the upper hamstring. These things kind of compensate and tie into one another," Harbaugh said. "So he's just going to have to keep working hard. He's been working incredibly hard to try to get it right, and he's going to have to continue to do that. But like I told him today - he's down about it - 'Don't get down about it.' It's a long season, and we're going to need him to be a really good player for us, and we've got to get him ready hopefully for Atlanta [on Sept. 3], and if not Atlanta, Kansas City" on Sept. 13.
Oniel Cousins is wearing a boot to protect the right ankle he rolled in Monday's game, but the second-year offensive tackle said he intends to play against the Panthers.
"I was blocking somebody, and I just kind of went the wrong way and it got twisted," Cousins said. "Hopefully, I'll be ready by game time."
Center-guard David Hale (shoulder) is expected to play Saturday.
More on injury front
In a surprising turn of events, wide receiver Mark Clayton took part in Wednesday's practice at the Ravens' training facility in Owings Mills.
Clayton, who had not practiced since straining his left hamstring Aug. 2, had been running on his own and making cuts last week during training camp. It's unclear whether Clayton will be available for Saturday's game against the Panthers.
