Ravens protect four players on practice squad ahead of Week 7

The Baltimore Ravens have found multiple players who can contribute at a high level through their practice squad in 2021. They’ve needed to rely on new faces (and some old ones as well) due to the fact that they’ve suffered a slew of injuries, but they have barely missed a beat, going an AFC-best 5-1 through their first six weeks.

On Tuesday, Jeff Zrebiec of The Athletic reported that Baltimore has protected four of their practice squad players ahead of their Week 7 matchup with the Cincinnati Bengals in offensive linemen David Sharpe and James Carpenter, defensive lineman Kahlil McKenzie, and inside linebacker Joe Thomas.

Both Carpenter and Thomas were signed to the Ravens’ practice squad on Tuesday, and they would each provide depth at their respective positions. However, it’s fair to question how much of the playbook they would understand in just a few short days before Sunday.

Sharpe was a practice squad protection last week and would be a depth piece at tackle with Ronnie Stanley now on injured reserve. McKenzie was called up for Baltimore’s Week 3 game against the Detroit Lions.