Roundup: Ravens expect QB Lamar Jackson (COVID-19) back this weekend

Lamar Jackson's COVID-19 diagnosis has interrupted Baltimore's pre-launch process, but his coach was quick to find a bright side Tuesday.

Jackson will be back at the end of his 10-day absence on Friday or Saturday, Ravens coach John Harbaugh told reporters. And while he's been gone, it's hasn't been all that bad for the rest of the Ravens.

"There's a silver lining, you know? It's obviously not ideal that Lamar's not out here," Harbaugh explained Tuesday. "But the fact that those two guys (Trace McSorley and Tyler Huntley) have gotten those reps, they've had to deal with all these pressures, all these blitzes, they've been in there with the ones and the twos. It's got to be good for us from a depth standpoint, developing those guys. The train will be moving. Lamar's gonna have to run and jump on while it's moving. But he's pretty fast, so I think he's capable of doing that."

Another Raven, new addition Justin Houston, will also have to wait before taking the practice field. Harbaugh said his five-day period should end this weekend.

Baltimore practiced Tuesday without a handful of offensive linemen, including offseason acquisition Alejandro Villanueva, who had a veteran's day off. Guard Kevin Zeitler left practice after roughly 90 minutes due to what Harbaugh described as a foot issue that "doesn't look serious," while guard Patrick Mekari has been seeing reps at left tackle to help fill in the gaps for those missing (Ronnie Stanley began camp on PUP).

Elsewhere around the NFL on Tuesday:

• The New Orleans Saints are bringing back linebacker Kwon Alexander on a one-year deal worth up to $3 million, NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport reported via Alexander's agent. Alexander, who turned 27 Tuesday, appeared in seven games for the Saints before tearing his Achilles in Week 16. He was released in March.
• Pittsburgh Steelers coach Mike Tomlin told reporters Ben Roethlisberger, Cameron Heyward, Joe Haden and other veterans won't play on Thursday in the Hall of Fame Game against the Cowboys. Mason Rudolph will get the start at quarterback, Tomlin announced. Also, the team signed running back Tony Brooks-James and released linebacker Jarvis Miller. Steelers cornerback DeMarkus Acy announced on Twitter that he tore his ACL on Tuesday. Acy is out for the season, Rapoport reported.
• Kansas City Chiefs receiver Tyreek Hill exited practice early Tuesday. Coach Andy Reid told reporters Hill was dealing with knee tendinitis. NFL Network's James Palmer reported the Chiefs are not currently concerned about Hill's status.
• Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford is dealing with a swollen thumb after hitting it on a helmet in practice and will likely miss a few days, Rapoport reported.
• New York Giants receiver Kenny Golladay left practice early with an apparent injury, per the team. Initial reports suggest Golladay suffered a lower body injury, potentially to his hamstring. The team noted that the veteran wideout was able to walk off the field under his own power. Also, the Giants placed linebacker Todd Davis on the reserve/retired list, less than a week after signing the veteran. Defensive back Joshua Kalu and LB Blake Martinez were activated off the reserve/COVID-19 list.
• Seattle Seahawks linebacker Bobby Wagner was was excused for the second consecutive day for a personal matter, Palmer reported.
• Green Bay Packers left tackle David Bakhtiari, who is still recovering from a torn ACL suffered in late December, said he hasn't had any hiccups in his recovery but declined to provide a timetable. In regard to starting the season on the PUP list, Bakhtiari said, "I think we'll address that fork in the road when we get there." In roster related news, the Packers announced the signing of undrafted rookie tight end Daniel Crawford after placing wide receiver Bailey Gaither on the reserve/retired list.
• San Francisco 49ers receiver Deebo Samuel was held out of practice with groin tightness, per Kyle Shanahan. Linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair is dealing with a knee sprain and will be out a few weeks, he added. The team is signing veteran cornerback B.W. Webb, Rapoport reported. Webb last played in 2019 when he started 12 games for the Bengals.
• Dallas Cowboys defensive end Demarcus Lawrence (back) has been activated off the PUP list after passing his physical. Lawrence is now eligible to return to practice.
• The Minnesota Vikings released 2020 first-round cornerback Jeff Gladney.
• Chicago Bears coach Matt Nagy said running back Tarik Cohen's timeline for a return to the field should be measured in weeks. Cohen remains on the PUP list with an ACL injury. "That is very general for me," Nagy said, per the Chicago Tribune. "It's all going to be day-by-day on how much growth he has or improvement. Every single day Tarik is in that training day. Every day. Days off. I just feel like he is doing everything he can to get that thing right." In other roster news, the Bears placed nose tackle Eddie Goldman on the reserve/COVID list. The team announced it had placed three players on the reserve/COVID-19 list: linebacker Christian Jones, long snapper Patrick Scales and offensive lineman Elijah Wilkinson.
• The Las Vegas Raiders placed offensive tackle Sam Young on the reserve/retired list. Young, 34, played for six teams and appeared in 103 games (28 starts) during his 11-year career. He's the third Raiders player to retire over the past week, joining running back Theo Riddick and linebacker James Onwualu.
• Cleveland Browns coach Kevin Stefanski said linebacker Anthony Walker could be out "a week-plus" after suffering a knee injury on Monday. He added that Walker won't require surgery. Rookie LB Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah was activated off the reserve/COVID-19 list.
• New York Jets left tackle Cameron Clarke suffered a neck injury in practice, per coach Robert Saleh. The team later announced Clarke, who had to be carted off the field, has been diagnosed with a spinal cord contusion and is expected to make a full recovery. He will remain in the hospital overnight for observation. Saleh also said OL Chuma Edoga is dealing with a knee injury but doesn't think it should keep him out long-term.
• Washington activated tackle Cornelius Lucas, defensive tackle Matthew Ioannidis and cornerback Chris Miller off the reserve/COVID-19 list. The Football Team also placed safety Deshazor Everett on the active roster after he passed his physical.
• The Arizona Cardinals have signed wide receiver Greg Dortch to a one-year contract, the team announced. Safety Shawn Williams was activated from the Non-Football Injury list.
• The Detroit Lions removed linebacker Austin Bryant from the active/PUP list.
• The Jacksonville Jaguars activated cornerback Chris Claybrooks and safety Jarrod Wilson off the reserve/COVID-19 list. The team also placed defensive line Taven Bryan on the reserve/COVID-19 list.
• The Atlanta Falcons signed punter Cameron Nizialek, waived P Sterling Hofrichter with an injury designation and activated linebacker John Atkins off the reserve/COVID-19 list.
• The Miami Dolphins signed tight end Gabe Holmes.
• The Carolina Panthers claim former Texans linebacker Nate Hall off waivers