Raven Country

Ravens' Injured Pro Bowler Could Be Nearing Return

This Baltimore Ravens' All Pro veteran is progressing well from a soft tissue injury that cause him to miss a game for the first time in four years.
Josh Reed|
Oct 1, 2023; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Baltimore Ravens fullback Patrick Ricard (42) runs after a catch in the fourth quarter against the Cleveland Browns at Cleveland Browns Stadium. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-Imagn Images
Oct 1, 2023; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Baltimore Ravens fullback Patrick Ricard (42) runs after a catch in the fourth quarter against the Cleveland Browns at Cleveland Browns Stadium. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-Imagn Images | David Richard-Imagn Images

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Baltimore Ravens

Despite being without two of their top weapons who were ruled out with injury, the Baltimore Ravens were still able to put up historic video game-like numbers on offense in terms of yardage, efficiency and explosive play rate in their season-opening loss to the Buffalo Bills.

One of those missing pieces was five-time Pro Bowl fullback Patrick Ricard, who is coming off a First Team All Pro season but hasn't practiced in nearly a month due to a calf strain. A day after the game, during his Monday press conference, head coach John Harbaugh provided a positive update on the ninth-year veteran.

"Patrick is doing well," Harbaugh said. "He should be out there practicing a little bit this week, potentially, and we'll see how it goes."

Today's practice will be an indicator if Ricard is trending toward making his 2025 debut in Week 2 when the Cleveland Browns come to town for the Ravens' home opener. Even if he's a limited participant, that would be a promising sign.

This past Sunday's shortcoming marked the first time Ricard missed a game since Week 18 of the 2021 season and the last time he practiced was on Aug. 14. One of the biggest reasons the Ravens were still able to steamroll and bludgeon the Bills with their ground game for 238 yards on the ground and average 8.2 yards per carry in his absence was the impressive performance by fourth-year tight end Zaire Mitchell-Paden.

Baltimore Ravens running back Derrick Henry gets a block from tight end Zaire Mitchell-Paden on touchdown run in Week 1.
Sep 7, 2025; Orchard Park, New York, USA; Baltimore Ravens running back Derrick Henry (22) runs the ball for a touchdown during the second quarter against the Buffalo Bills at Highmark Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Gregory Fisher-Imagn Images | Gregory Fisher-Imagn Images

Like Ricard, he is a former undrafted free agent and spent the bulk of his 15 offensive snaps lined up in the backfield at fullback, helping spring future Hall of Fame running back Derrick Henry for several of his chunk runs, including his first of two touchdowns. Mitchell-Paden was elevated from the practice squad for this game and made quite the impression on his head coach in his NFL regular-season debut.

"I thought Zaire did a really good job," Harbaugh said. "I thought he was really good. He was explosive and physical. He really brought it up in there and unloaded on some blocks and did a nice job."

Prior to the Bills' game, the Rockville, Md. native had not seen any live action outside of the preseason in his first three years in the league with the Cleveland Browns, with whom he signed in 2022 after going undrafted out of Florida Atlantic. Many pundits were surprised when the Ravens opted to only elevate Mitchell-Paden for this game and not undrafted rookie fullback Lucas Scott, who is also on the practice squad and played well in the preseason but it's clear they made the right decision.

Ricard isn't the only key offensive piece that the Ravens didn't have at their disposal for the season-opener that could be nearing a return to action. Even though Harbaugh didn't provide an update on him, fourth-year tight end Isaiah Likley took to social media to show a glimpse of the progress he's making in his rehabilitation process from the foot surgery that put him out of commission for the vast majority of training camp.

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Josh Reed
JOSH REED

Josh is a writer for Baltimore Ravens On SI focusing primarily on original content and reporting. He provides analysis, breakdowns, profiles, and reports on important news and transactions from and about the Ravens. His professional resume as a sports reporter includes covering local events, teams, and athletes in his hometown of Anchorage, Alaska for Anchorage Daily News. His coverage on the Ravens and other NFL teams has been featured on Heavy.com/sports, Maryland Sports Blog and most recently Baltimore Beatdown from 2021 until 2025.

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