The Ravens are coming off two strong defensive games, and a key member of their defensive line is moving closer to rejoining the lineup.
Veteran nose tackle Michael Pierce returned to practice Wednesday, opening his 21-day practice window. Pierce suffered a calf injury on Oct. 27 against the Cleveland Browns and was placed on injured reserve.
Pierce had 15 tackles and one sack through his first seven games. He played more than 30% of the defensive snaps in four games and is one of the team's primary run stoppers.
If Pierce can play on Sunday, it would be an opportune time for his return to face star Philadelphia Eagles running back Saquon Barkley, who leads the NFL in rushing.
"We have our fingers crossed that he could be ready this week," Head Coach John Harbaugh said.
His return would add more depth to the defensive line rotation of Nnamdi Madubuike, Travis Jones, Broderick Washington, and Brent Urban.
Pierce would need to be moved to the 53-man roster by Dec. 17 in order to return this season. The Ravens will still have three games left at that point – vs. the Pittsburgh Steelers (Week 16), at the Houston Texans (Week 17), and vs. the Cleveland Browns (Week 18).
The 32-year-old Pierce has 234 tackles, 24 quarterback hits, 18 tackles for loss, and 8.5 sacks during his eight-year NFL career.
In another roster move, Baltimore signed tight end Scotty Washington to the practice squad. The 27-year-old Washington was on the practice squad during part of the 2023 season and spent most of the summer with the Ravens before he was waived on Aug. 20.
