John Harbaugh’s recent update on an All-Pro offers little comfort to Ravens fans

It doesn't matter how long one talks about this game. Injuries are never a fun discussion. They never become any easier to process. Yes, they're unavoidable and part of the game, but there's a human element to it. Availability is a skill, and this is how the Baltimore Ravens and every other NFL star feed their respective families.

The strength of one's hamstrings and ACL can stall or delay someone's respective plans for their future. It determines whether another contract is earned, so whether a Raven or a rival, we always send our best to the guys who may be on the shelf for an extended period.

John Harbaugh provides a slightly discouraging update on Patrick Ricard.

Saying the Ravens are banged up is an understatement. At some point, it may become an easier task to list who's healthy than who isn't. Sadly, Nnamdi Madubuike's neck injury has knocked him out for the remainder of the regular season.

Fortunately, per John Harbaugh, most of the rest of his team's ailments aren't of the season-ending variety. Still, no one's going to be happy with his recent update on All-Pro fullback Patrick Ricard.

“It was supposed to be a two-to-three week injury, and then he kind of re-tweaked it. And, it was supposed to be another two to three weeks. We’re looking at [the return date] to be the Bears game. We’ll see if he makes it or not…If he doesn’t make it, whoever we play after the Bears, it’ll be that game.”

Baltimore's running game hasn't been quite the same without Ricard in the lineup. Since joining Baltimore as an undrafted rookie free agent in 2017, he's been voted onto five Pro Bowl rosters (2019–2022, 2024). They say the fullback is a dying position, but Ricard proves it can still be as huge a weapon as it has always been.

He'll return at some point. Let's hope he's back in the lineup sooner rather than later.

This article originally appeared on Ravens Wire: Patrick Ricard's return is uncertain