New Ravens linebacker Jason Pierre-Paul says he is ready to play if called on vs. Bills
On Monday, the Ravens signed veteran pass rusher Jason Pierre-Paul to a one-year deal. On Friday, Pierre-Paul spoke to the media and stated he is ‘ready to go’ against the Buffalo Bills after a single week of practice.
“Yeah, I’ll be ready for Sunday,” Pierre-Paul said. “I’ll definitely be ready.”
Pierre-Paul is coming off a middling season in which he totaled 2.5 sacks and five quarterback hits. Pierre-Paul made it clear he was hampered with injuries for the majority of the 2021 season.
“At the end of last year I had [a] supraspinatus, rotator cuff tear, biceps tendon tear, so all that. I basically got a whole new shoulder,” Pierre-Paul said. “I feel totally better. I was playing with one shoulder last year. Since game three I was playing with one shoulder. Imagine playing with one shoulder as a defensive end. I did what I could do for the team and hold my own but not having two shoulders [is] a big thing. I can’t push, can’t grab, can’t snatch. I can do all that now.”
The addition of Pierre-Paul could be significant for the Ravens, especially in the short-term. The Ravens’ depth at outside linebacker is non-existent, with two going down with season-ending injuries and both Tyus Bowser and rookie David Ojabo recovering from torn Achilles injuries suffered earlier in 2022. To make things worse, veteran Justin Houston suffered a groin injury during last week’s game against the New England Patriots and did not practice this week.