Rookie third-round offensive lineman Emery Jones Jr. made his long-awaited practice debut Wednesday after shoulder surgery sidelined him for the summer.
Jones, who has been on the reserve/non-football injury list, now has a 21-day practice window before he must be moved to the 53-man roster or placed on season-ending injured reserve.
Head Coach John Harbaugh originally said he expected Jones to return midway through training camp, but physicians were cautious with bringing him back slowly to make sure his shoulder was fully ready.
The Ravens drafted Jones in the third round, knowing his NFL start would be delayed, but the talent was worth the wait. General Manager Eric DeCosta said Jones had surgery the week after the Combine.
Jones is a 6-foot-5, 320-pound blocker who could play offensive tackle or guard. While he started 36 of 38 games played at right tackle for LSU, his best position in the NFL may be at guard.
Jones has been in team and positional meetings but will now have a chance to get acclimated to the NFL on the field in hopes of pushing for playing time.
Daniel Faalele and Andrew Vorhees have been the Ravens' starting guards with Ben Cleveland as their backup. The Ravens also signed 2022 first-round guard Kenyon Green to their practice squad Tuesday.
"We invested the third-round pick on him," DeCosta said of Jones at the end of training camp. "We're excited about him and what he brings to the table. I think he's going to be a fun player to watch.
"At some point, he is going to get a chance to play this year. … He's going to be a physical guy. The one thing I can tell you about Emery is he's a physical, combative player. We saw that at the Senior Bowl. We saw it on tape. This guy loves to play. He kind of fits our mentality. I can't wait to get him out there and practice just to see what he looks like."
