Harbaugh: Lewis "furthest away" of injured Ravens

Ravens coach John Harbaugh said Monday he is “hopeful” that inside linebacker Ray Lewis will play Sunday against the Cleveland Browns, though he estimated that Lewis is “probably the guy that’s furthest away” among Ravens who sat out Thursday’s 16-6 win over the San Francisco 49ers.

Lewis, the team’s leading tackler this season, has missed the past two games with a toe injury.

“Ray has a sprained toe, turf toe kind of thing, so those are a little more unpredictable,” Harbaugh said at his weekly media conference in Owings Mills. “I’m hopeful. I’ve used that word before. I think he’s got a real good chance [of playing Sunday] but we’ll just have to see how it goes.”

Harbaugh, citing a 10-day span between games, expressed optimism that Chris Carr (back) and linebacker Dannell Ellerbe (groin) will be healthy enough to suit up Sunday at Cleveland Browns Stadium. Arthur Jones (head) and Anthony Allen (thigh) were also sidelined for Thursday’s win.

“The rest part of it is big, the fact that all those guys are going to get an extra three or four days of rest and more time to recover,” Harbaugh said. “Ray’s probably the guy that’s furthest away if you’re going to look at all the guys, but then again, you never know. Ellerbe looks good. Chris Carr looks good. Most of those guys looked good [after meeting with team trainers] Monday.”