Ravens defensive leaders Kyle Van Noy (hamstring) and Marlon Humphrey (groin) left Sunday's win over the Browns with injuries, and Head Coach John Harbaugh stayed away from giving specific timetables for their return Monday.
Van Noy, who led the Ravens with 12.5 sacks last season, departed with about 12 minutes remaining in the second quarter of Baltimore's 41-17 win over the Cleveland Browns. Humphrey left in the fourth quarter after playing 51 snaps and making three tackles.
The Ravens have a little more time than usual before hosting the Detroit Lions on "Monday Night Football" in Week 3, but Harbaugh did not address whether Van Noy or Humphrey will play.
"The update I probably want to give is, there's nothing season-ending or long-term," Harbaugh said. "Something might stretch into a week-to-week, but it's really no advantage to us sharing that information today for our opponent.
"It's not that I don't want to give it to you, or the fans. I don't want to give it to the Lions. That's the main thing right now."
ESPN's Jeremy Fowler reported Monday that Van Noy could miss multiple games.
Tavius Robinson (48 snaps), Mike Green (45), and Odafe Oweh (41) handled the outside linebacker rotation against Cleveland, with Van Noy limited to 12 snaps. Fourth-year outside linebacker David Ojabo has been inactive in the first two games.
Green, who played 26 snaps in Week 1, had one quarterback hit and two hurries against the Browns. Harbaugh said the second-round rookie continues to improve after leading college football in sacks last year.
"He made another step in this game," Harbaugh said. "He tightened up some of his angles on his pass rushes and defense, very physical off the edge. There's a way to go, but keep making the same kind of progress every single week… I'm happy with the way Mike's playing. He's playing good football for us. He's just got to keep growing as a young player."
Patrick Ricard's Recovery Has Been Slower Than Anticipated
It remains uncertain when Pro Bowl fullback Patrick Ricard (calf) will return to action. He has missed Baltimore's first two games and has not practiced since Aug. 14.
"It hasn't been as quick as we thought," Harbaugh said. "There's no way around it. I'm disappointed, but Pat's more disappointed than anybody that it hasn't gotten there faster than what was expected when he did it. We're kind of in that week-to-week mode with Pat right now."
Tight end Zaire Mitchell-Paden was elevated from the practice squad for the second straight week on Sunday and played 25% of the offensive snaps (14). He can be elevated one more time from the practice squad before he would need to be added to the 53-man roster in order to play in games.
How the Browns' Run Defense Stymied Ravens' Rushing Attack
Keeping Baltimore's rushing attack contained is difficult, but the Browns succeeded on Sunday. Derrick Henry was held to 23 yards on 11 carries, while the Ravens were limited to just 45 yards rushing.
It was Henry's lowest rushing total since joining the Ravens last season. His previous low was 46 yards on 13 carries against the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 1 last year.
The Ravens showed their offensive versatility with Lamar Jackson throwing four touchdown passes on a day when the rushing attack was held in check. However, Harbaugh credited the Browns for their approach to bottling up Baltimore on the ground.
"They had a bunch of guys at the line of scrimmage, and they were triggering the run right away," Harbaugh said. "When you get a run key, you're hitting gaps, running through gaps. I would say they were blitzing the run. It wasn't a blitz call, but it's a blitz reaction to the run.
"Those guys were coming downhill immediately, and they were all close to the line of scrimmage to start with. That was the plan, make sure the Ravens don't run the ball. We're not going to get beat by the run. That's smart football and they had success with that part of it."
Harbaugh Says Jaire Alexander's Return Could Be 'Much Sooner Rather Than Later'
Jaire Alexander was inactive Sunday against the Browns after playing in Week 1 and practicing all week leading up to Sunday's game. The decision was made to give Alexander more time to ramp up after missing a month of training camp managing his knee.
Harbaugh said Alexander could return to face the Lions, but the Ravens want to see what transpires this week.
"I wish it was really black and white, but I think he'll be out there soon," Harbaugh said. "It could be as early as this week. But it's going to be when you can see that he's right, to just play like top-level Jaire."
Harbaugh has confidence in the Ravens' depth at cornerback until Alexander is ready.
"That's almost a great problem to have, that you don't have to force a player out there," Harbaugh said. "That's a tough injury he had last year. He's been rehabbing that thing in the offseason. He ended up rehabbing it for about three or four weeks in training camp, [with] no practice. That was probably the toughest part.
"It's good now. We'll just see practice. He and I will sit down and talk about it, and we'll get him out there just as soon as we can. But I think it's going to be real soon, much sooner rather than later. Maybe it will be this week."
