Ravens Ready To Clear Madubuike For Week 3, But Stanley And Flowers Not Looking Good

The Ravens are preparing to face the Cowboys without two of their most critical players on offense, while two key defensive starters are on a path to being cleared for their season debts.

Baltimore is facing the Cowboys in Brazil Sunday, on a field that was being rebuked by professional soccer players and is likely to cause major complications for the NFL players who billionaires have willingly risked and subjected to extreme travel to build their global brand. Those field conditions are absolutely playing a role in how the Ravens are approaching this game from a medical standpoint, as they should, with Zay Flowers (hamstring) and Ronnie Stanley (toe) not practicing at all this week, as expected, while defensive tackle Nnamdi Madubuike (neck surgery) and linebacker Teddye Buchanan (ACL surgery).

Thursday was last real work the Ravens will get given the rigors of this trip and they won’t even get on the playing surface until Saturday. Given the nature of the injuries to Flowers and Stanley, and the fact Stanley struggled mightily last week before eventually making way for Carson Vinson (who struggled more), it would be shocking to see them Sunday. And it would also require some kind of odd setback as well for Madubuike and Buchanan not to be removed from the final injury report.

As for other Ravens, according to Thursday’s injury report, edge rusher Trey Hendrickson, who played through a hand injury last week, returned to practice Thursday. Guard John Simpson (groin) and safety Malaki Starks (hamstring), coming off a rough Week 2, practiced limited as well.

Head coach Jesse Minter does not meet with the media on Thursday, but his comments about Flowers from Wednesday I found quite telling.

"I think you have to take everything into account, most importantly what is best for (Flowers),” Minter said. “We will figure all these out. I think we have a lot of guys in that day-to-day range right now. We will figure out what is best. I think you always take everything into account to make sure that it is in the best interest of the player."

The Ravens could find ways to try to get Stanley ready on game day, as they did last week, but we suspect they are getting Vinson prepared for his first start after Stanley could barely get through half the game last week on their home field surface. Hopefully rookie coordinator Declan Doyle learns from his failures in Week 2 and gets into heavy personnel much more regularly to help a bad offensive line.

Thursday's Injury Report pic.twitter.com/N6xiHNYjEz
— Baltimore Ravens (@Ravens) September 24, 2026

The Field Matters

You’d have to be naïve to think that as much as Minter has tried to downplay the inevitably poor field conditions it isn't factoring into who they dress Sunday. “It is really in the league's hands, and we have been in contact with them,” Minter said Monday. “They have people there [who] feel pretty good about it.”

Yeah rook, that’s what they’re going to tell you. Wait til you get there.

“I would have to see when I get down there,” hybrid defender Kyle Hamilton said of the field. “Obviously, I mean there is a lot of just, 'he said, she said,' kind of thing going on right now, so we will see. I know the players are the product in this league. As soon as we lose putting the players forward is when we lose the league, and I am sure the league knows that and they are doing their best to put us in the position to be safe.”

Expect to hear plenty about it after the game, and expect the Ravens to be very careful with the game day inactives for Sunday.

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