BALTIMORE (AP) — Baltimore Ravens coach John Harbaugh described his team’s injury list mix-up as an “honest mistake” after the organization initially listed quarterback Lamar Jackson as a full participant in practice on Friday, then retroactively changed his designation to limited the following day.
“Nobody’s trying to hide anything,” Harbaugh said following Baltimore’s 30-16 victory over the Chicago Bears on Sunday. “There’s no advantage to be gained with that.”
On Friday, the Ravens reported Jackson as a full participant in practice and listed him as questionable for Sunday’s game. However, on Saturday, Baltimore ruled Jackson out for the game and clarified that he had actually been limited on Friday.
The team explained that although Jackson practiced “fully,” he did not take starter reps and therefore should have been listed as limited. According to NFL policy, full participation means completing 100% of a player’s normal repetitions.
“I’m not involved in those rules. I don’t know those particular rules,” Harbaugh said. “I think in their defense, he practiced a full practice. I think they felt like because he did the same number of reps it was a full practice, but when you dig in and you read the rule, at the end of the day it wasn’t right. As soon as we found out, we changed it.”
When asked who he was referring to as “they,” Harbaugh replied, “That’s in the training room, and the PR and the other side.”
Harbaugh also appeared uncertain about the available status designations on the injury report.
“I do think if we’d had the old status, maybe they would have said doubtful. Maybe? I don’t know,” he said. “But questionable or out, we weren’t going to say out because he wasn’t out until Saturday, when that conversation was had on the medical side.”
It is worth noting that “doubtful” remains a designation that can be used on NFL injury reports.
With Jackson sidelined, backup quarterback Tyler Huntley started in his place and led the Ravens to their highest-scoring game since Week 3 — the last time the team had Jackson available for a full game.
“We always prepare for Lamar,” Chicago Bears coach Matt Eberflus said. “Then when we found out he wasn’t playing, it was get ready for the next guy.”