Marshal Yanda’s loss could be Chris Chester and Oneil Cousin’s gain.
The Ravens placed Yanda, a second-year right guard, on injured reserve on Tuesday after tearing three ligaments in his right knee in the final minutes of the 31-3 loss to Indianapolis on Sunday.
Ravens coach John Harbaugh said he is exploring several options for reworking the offensive line, which is the NFL’s youngest starting unit at 24 years, 6 months prior to the season-ending injury to Yanda, 24.
Harbaugh said he’s considering Chester or Cousins at right guard or moving Adam Terry from tackle to guard — a position he has never played — and inserting former Pro Bowler Willie Anderson at right tackle when the Ravens (2-3) face Miami (2-3) at Dolphin Stadium on Sunday at 1 p.m.
“We can’t decide right now because Adam has the knee still,” Harbaugh said referring to Terry’s sprained right knee. “[Terry is] rehabbing right now. I don’t know the percentage, but there is a chance he can play Sunday. We want to get him some work in at guard this week if we can. In the meantime, Chris will get some practice in there and if [Terry] can’t go, Chris will go.”
If Terry is sidelines, Chester will get his latest chance to prove the Ravens made an astute pick with they selected him in the second round of the 2006 draft.
Chester lost out to then-rookie Ben Grubbs for the starting right guard position last year and then got beat by Jason Brown during the offseason as the starting center.
Chester recently was moved to tight end, a position he played in college at Oklahoma. The 6-foot-3, 305-pounder has played a reserve role in each of the Ravens first five games.
“We all as a group have worked hard individually and as a unit,” Chester said. “It’s a shame that Marshal hurt his knee the way he did — that just means I have to go in there and step up and carry the load that he was doing so well.”
Cousins is taking a similar approach. The 6-foot-4, 190-pounder played against the Colts after the third-round pick in this year’s draft was inactive for the first four games.
“The more positions you can play, the better it is for you and your team,” Cousins said. “You’ve always got to get ready to play like you’re a starter. You’ve got to be ready to prove you can play whatever position on the line they may need.”
Harbaugh said whoever takes over for Yanda will have a difficult job. Yanda was an integral part of an offensive line that helped the Ravens average 133.2 rushing yards per game, which is seventh-best in the NFL. The Ravens are also first in the NFL in time of possession (33 minutes, 29 seconds).
“Whoever ends up going in there [for Yanda] and taking that spot is going to have big shoes to fill, and the rest of the guys are just going to have to play that much better,” Harbaugh said. “Communication is going to be critical, and some of those young guys may have to step up.”
In good hands
The teams that have allowed the fewest sacks this season
Team Allowed
1. Broncos 2
1. Titans 2
3. Saints 6
3. Giants 6
5. Falcons 7
5. Cowboys 7
5. Buccaneers 7
8. Browns 8
8. Chargers 8
12. RAVENS 10
QB’s beware
Teams that have allowed the most sacks
Team Allowed
1. 49ers 23
2. Lions 22
3. Patriots 20
4. Bengals 19
4. Steelers 19
6. Bills 16
6. Vikings 16
