The Baltimore Ravens are in a tight race for the AFC North division, and they will need all hands on deck if they want a chance at making the playoffs. Unfortunately, they will be missing one of their offensive lineman, Ben Cleveland, as he's been suspended for the next few games, according to the Ravens.
“Announcement from the NFL: Ben Cleveland of the Baltimore Ravens is suspended for the club’s next three games without pay for violating the NFL’s Substances of Abuse Policy,” the Ravens wrote on X, formerly Twitter.
The suspension comes from an incident that occurred in February, when Cleveland was arrested for a DUI in Georgia. Cleveland has a $1.17 million base salary, so he will not see his next three checks.
That means that Cleveland will miss games against the Cincinnati Bengals, New England Patriots, and Green Bay Packers. All three of those games will be big for the Packers, as one is against a divisional rival, while the other two are against playoff contenders.
Cleveland was selected by the Ravens in the third round of the NFL Draft. He has appeared in 10 games this season but has not started. It will be interesting to see if this suspension has any effect on him after the season is over, as he's slated to become a free agent.
As of now, the Ravens can only focus on what they can control during this part of the season, and they have to try and win out. They've lost their last two games, and they've been against divisional opponents, which has not boded well for their chances at winning the division.
At the same time, they still have a chance to make the playoffs, because all the other teams in the division have not played well. All it takes is for one team to get hot and take control, and the Ravens are hoping that it's them.
