BALTIMORE – Cornerback Kyle Fuller is out for the year after suffering a torn ACL in the Baltimore Ravens’ 24-9 win over the New York Jets, head coach John Harbaugh confirmed.
The play came in the last two minutes of the 4th quarter, with Baltimore up 24-3. Fuller was covering Jets wide receiver Elijah Moore, who pushed off and hauled in a Joe Flacco pass near the sideline for what would have been a touchdown.
But the play was negated by an offensive pass interference call. Fuller immediately fell to the ground and grabbed his knee.
“One of those things, just a crazy circumstance on Astroturf,” Harbaugh said. “He got pushed off and just landed the wrong way on the turf, and the turf doesn’t usually give as much as grass.”
A Baltimore native, Fuller played high school football at Mount Saint Joseph before starring at Virginia Tech.
“He’ll tell you, he really loves it here,” Harbaugh said. “His mom is here. He just liked everything about what we were doing and he fit in so well. And he was playing good ball in the game.”
Following a season where injuries cost the Ravens immensely, particularly among the running backs and defensive backs, the 30-year-old two-time Pro Bowl selection was brought in to help shore up the depth in the secondary.
To recap: Marcus Peters went down before the 2021 season with a torn ACL, and Marlon Humphrey missed the final five games of the season with a torn pectoral muscle.
The team lost safety DeShon Elliott for the year after he tore a pectoral and bicep muscle in the team’s Nov. 7 overtime win over the Minnesota Vikings.
The loss of those players clearly had an impact: The Ravens ended the season giving up a league-worst 4,742 passing yards.
During the offseason, executive vice president and general manager Eric DeCosta retrenched the defensive backfield with the signings of Fuller and safety Marcus Williams, and the draft selections of safety Kyle Hamilton, cornerback Jalyn Armour-Davis out of Alabama, and cornerback Damarion Williams out of Houston.
Peters did not play in Sunday’s game against the Jets, but he is expected back on the field shortly. Humphrey did play.
Another important reserve, offensive tackle Ja’Wuan James, went down Sunday with a torn Achilles, his second in two seasons.
With Ronnie Stanley unable to go as he continues to recover from a second ankle surgery, James started at left tackle against the Jets. Patrick Mekari, who fills in all along the offensive line, took over after James’ injury.
Harbaugh praised Mekari’s performance and ability to step in.
“He plays all the positions, and you never really know where he’s going to be called on to play,” Harbaugh said. “That’s why he’s so valuable. And he played very well.”