Ravens place backup QB Trace McSorley on injured reserve
The Baltimore Ravens will need to find another quarterback to back up reigning league MVP Lamar Jackson for the second time in a month with second-year pro Trace McSorley headed to injured reserve after suffering what is reportedly a minor knee injury in the team’s 47-42 win over the Cleveland Browns in an instant classic on Monday Night Football to close out Week 14.
He made a key play late in the game when he connected with veteran wide receiver Willie Snead on a 13-yard conversion on a crucial third-and-10 on the Ravens’ last touchdown drive.
Unfortunately, he went down after his left knee buckled and bent awkwardly as he attempted to make a cut on another third-down play later on that drive where the offense needed two yards to move the chains and pick up a new set of yards.
Thankfully, Jackson came back onto the field just in the nick of time and completed a 44-yard touchdown pass to Marquise Brown on the very next play with the Ravens facing fourth-and-5 that gave them the lead back following a successful two-point conversion attempt.
McSorley will join veteran Robert Griffin III as the second signal-caller to land on injured reserve. Griffin suffered a hamstring/thigh injury in the Ravens’ narrow 19-14 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 12.
The 2019 sixth-round pick out of Penn State will miss the remainder of the season since he has to sit out a minimum of three games per the short-term IR rules. He had seen some time in relief of both Jackson and Griffin late in two of the Ravens’ past three games.
Jackson missed the majority of the fourth quarter while getting treated in the locker room for cramps and Griffin had to watch from the sidelines after getting pulled because of a pulled hamstring he suffered in the first half and progressively got worse as the game went on.
McSorley saw the most extensive regular-season action in his second year and will finish it with a passing stat line that reads 3-of-10 for 90 yards and a touchdown and he also rushed for 17 yards on five carries.
As far as where the Ravens turn now to backup Jackson, the most logical and familiar next man up is undrafted rookie Tyler Huntley. The former University of Utah standout is on the team’s practice squad and has only been called up to be active for a game just once this year but didn’t take a single snap.
Speaking of the practice squad, the Ravens released a pair of players from it. Both running back Tommy Bohanon and defensive tackle Braxton Hoyett had their contracts terminated on Tuesday.
