Baltimore Ravens starting left guard Andrew Vorhees missed his second-straight practice on Thursday due to an ankle injury, casting further doubt on his status for Sunday night’s game against the Buffalo Bills.
Vorhees, who missed his entire rookie season while recovering from a torn ACL he suffered at the NFL Scouting Combine. This season, the USC product earned the starting left guard job and has been the most-consistent of the three new starters up front. He’s played every single snap over the first three games, and according to Pro Football Focus, has not yet allowed a single sack.
If Vorhees can’t go on Sunday, then how the Ravens replace him will be interesting to see. Fellow second-year pro Malesala Aumavae-Laulu is the backup left guard on the depth chart, but it’s possible they could slide Ben Cleveland over from right guard, or something even more out there.
Vorhees was one of three starting offensive lineman to miss Wednesday’s practice, and the only one to miss Thursday as well. Center Tyler Linderbaum (knee) returned in a limited capacity, while right tackle Patrick Mekari (neck) returned in full. Right guard Daniel Faalele was also a full participant for the second day in a row, despite dealing with a hip injury.
Elsewhere, cornerback Jalyn Armour-Davis, who left Sunday’s win over the Dallas Cowboys, did not practice once again due to a hamstring injury. Nose tackle Michael Pierce, who also left the Cowboys game before returning later on, also came back to practice after missing Wednesday with a shoulder injury.
Linebacker Roquan Smith is perhaps the biggest name on the injury report, so it’s good news that he was a full particiapnt after being limited on Wednesday. Smith is the heart and soul of the defense, and the unit often goes as he does. Against the high-flying Bills, the Ravens will need him to be at full strength.