Lamar Jackson Wednesday Injury Updates Send Bills Mixed Signals on QB's Week 8 Status

With how badly the Buffalo Bills' defense has struggled this season, the hope was that they would avoid facing quarterback Lamar Jackson when they meet the Baltimore Ravens in Week 8.

Of course, Jackson has been nursing an ankle injury for the last three weeks and he has not played in a game in that span as a result.

There was some optimism over the weekend and early this week that Jackson would make it back for Week 8, but the latest injury updates from Ravens practice are sending mixed signals.

Lamar Jackson injury updates send mixed signals

Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson. — Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson (8) drops back to pass during the first half against the Tennessee Titans at M&T Bank Stadium. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

According to ESPN's Jamison Hensley, Jackson was on the practice field with his helmet and pads on Wednesday, so the Ravens signal-caller is taking part.

However, Hensley also noted that Jackson's left ankle is wrapped, which is an indication he might not be 100% yet. He also doesn't appear to be running at full power yet, either.

The Ravens won't drop their injury report until later in the day, so we don't have his exact participation level yet, but clearly he's going to be listed as limited, at worst.

A limited session would be anything but a guarantee that Jackson will play, though, as he was limited all three days last week before sitting out. Until he logs a full practice, Jackson's status remains up in the air.

We'll update this page once we have confirmation of just how much Jackson participated in practice.

Bills' struggling defense needs to catch break

Bills defense coordinator Jim Leonhard. — Bills defense coordinator Jim Leonhard talks to someone on the sidelines before practice at Bills Training Camp at St. John Fisher University in Pittsford on Aug. 13 2026. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

The first year of defensive coordinator Jim Leonhard has been a disaster for Buffalo.

The Bills enter the Week 8 contest against the Ravens allowing the third-most points per game. They also sport the second-worst pass defense and are just middle-of-the-road against the run.

If Jackson plays, he may present a challenge the Bills haven't seen yet this season, which is a quarterback who is elite at running the football, so we're not exactly sure how well the 2026 defense will hold up against Jackson's mobility.

We say he "may" present a challenge on the ground because, there's also a chance that Jackson won't be at 100% if he does play, so his running ability may not be a big factor.

But, then again, if he isn't 100%, Jackson might not suit up at all after he made it clear last week he doesn't want to go that route because he might end up hurting his team.

"I'm restricted. Like I can't really do what I do. So I'm not helping nobody if I can just go out there and be a statue and get hit," he said. "No positive. Like that's not helping my team at all. That's just me. I feel like I'm being selfish because it's about me at that point for me to get out there and be hurt. That's dumb."

If Jackson doesn't go, the Bills will face Tyler Huntley instead. He would amount to a significant downgrade for Baltimore and, in turn, a massive boost for Buffalo's defense.

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