The Baltimore Ravens (6-5) made significant roster changes ahead of their Thanksgiving matchup against the Cincinnati Bengals (3-8). The team placed running back Justice Hill and defensive tackle Taven Bryan on injured reserve. Both players will miss at least four games, making Week 17 against the Green Bay Packers their earliest possible return.
Baltimore added Hill to the injury report on Tuesday due to a neck injury after previously missing two games with a toe issue. He did not practice on Wednesday. Hill has appeared in 10 games, producing 93 rushing yards on 18 carries (5.2 YPC), plus 21 receptions for 169 yards and three total touchdowns. In the passing game, he more than held his own, bringing down 21 of 27 targets and taking charge of third-down responsibilities.
Hill's absence means Keaton Mitchell will assume the No. 2 role behind Derrick Henry. Mitchell leads all Ravens runners with 5.8 yards per carry and has caught five of six targets. His workload has already seen a modest uptick during Hill’s previous absence, including his highest snap counts of the season, though he totaled just 11 touches across those two games. Rookie Rasheen Ali is also likely to serve as depth.
Bryan, for his part, heads to IR with a knee injury suffered in last week’s win over the New York Jets, which head coach John Harbaugh described as a “three-to-four-week” injury. A veteran of 118 career games, Bryan played five games for Baltimore this season and contributed one tackle, half a sack, and four pressures (per PFF). His absence increases responsibilities for Travis Jones, John Jenkins, and Brent Urban, while rookie Aeneas “Fub” Peebles could return to action for the first time since Week 5.
To compensate for depth losses, the Ravens elevated defensive end Carl Lawson, a former Bengal who will make his season debut, and linebacker Chandler Martin, who has five special-teams tackles in two games.
Baltimore enters the heart of the AFC North fight on the back of five straight victories, having taken over the division lead from the Pittsburgh Steelers after their Week 12 loss to the Chicago Bears, all while being propped up by a defense that’s been picking pockets all season and has collected 10 takeaways since Week 8 to cover for the offense’s cold spells.
