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The status of Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson is the big question hanging over the Dallas Cowboys game this coming Tuesday night. The first hurdle is when he is eligible to come of the COVID-19 list. According to sources, he is eligible to come off the list on Sunday.
#Ravens QB Lamar Jackson is eligible to be activated from the Reserve/COVID-19 list with medical clearance on Sunday, I’m told. Baltimore faces the #Cowboys on Tuesday.
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) December 4, 2020
So that gives us a timeline as to the earliest point of his return. That’s not to say that he will be activated that day, his medical condition is still unknown and a private matter for now. But even if he is activated on Sunday, there is the question of whether the Ravens will feel comfortable playing him, and if they do, just how effective he could be in the game.
The Ravens brought both running backs Mark Ingram and J.K. Dobbins of the list before the Steelers game but chose not to play them.
Of course, as Baltimore showed with its running backs last week, being eligible doesn’t necessarily mean you’ll play. Robert Griffin III landed on injured reserve today, so if Jackson can't go, it'd be Trace McSorley against Dallas.
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) December 4, 2020
If Jackson does come off the list Sunday, it is impossible to know what kind of shape he is in for a game. A lot of that could depend on his symptoms, how severe they were/are, and when he got past them. Ravens left tackle Orlando Brown recently spoke to Jackson and had this to say:
“He’s feeling well,” Brown said. “He’s very similar to Mark [Andrews] in the sense that he wants to be out there playing. This is a family here that we’ve been able to be a part of and help create, a certain type of atmosphere and mentality in the locker room. It’s hard watching from at home, or even on the sidelines, for someone that’s hurt. I know Lamar is looking forward to getting out there.”
With the Ravens putting Robert Griffin on IR today, if Jackson can’t go they will be down to Trace McSorley as the starting quarterback. If Jackson comes off the list on Sunday, he could conceivably get in a practice and a walk-thru before the game.