Ravens' Mark Ingram, J.K. Dobbins test positive for COVID-19, briefly closing team facility

Ravens running backs Mark Ingram II and J.K. Dobbins have tested positive for COVID-19, coach John Harbaugh announced Monday, and the team’s facility was briefly closed days before a Thanksgiving Day game against the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Defensive tackle Brandon Williams will also go on the reserve/COVID-19 list after being considered a “high-risk” close contact, Harbaugh said, and will miss Thursday’s game. Williams was on the sideline during Sunday’s game against the Tennessee Titans, a 30-24 overtime loss in Baltimore, after being ruled out with an ankle injury he suffered in Week 10 against the New England Patriots.

Harbaugh and an NFL spokesman said that Thursday’s prime-time game remains on as scheduled.

The Ravens announced Monday they were informed of “multiple” positive tests in the organization late Sunday night, indicating that the tests were taken before Sunday’s game. The Ravens (6-3) started contact tracing and conducting all team activities virtually before reopening the facility. Harbaugh said the Ravens will hold a masked walk-through Monday after having virtual meetings.

Under the NFL’s coronavirus policy, Ingram and Dobbins, as well as any “high-risk” close contacts such as Williams, will have to miss the rematch Pittsburgh. Players who have high-risk exposure must self-quarantine for at least five days before returning.

If Ingram, the team’s starter and a Pro Bowl selection last season, and Dobbins, the Ravens’ leading running back (380 yards, 5.3 per carry), are unavailable, Gus Edwards would step in as the team’s primary back Thursday. Running back Justice Hill would also see his workload grow, while rookie Ty’Son Williams could be elevated from the practice squad.

Dobbins and Edwards combined for 200 yards on 31 carries in a Week 8 loss to the Steelers, who played most of the game without starting defensive tackle Tyson Alualu. Pittsburgh (10-0), which would eliminate the Ravens from the AFC North title race with a win Thursday, entered Week 11 with the NFL’s second-most efficient defense and No. 6 rushing defense, according to Football Outsiders.

The Ravens have had two players in recent weeks added to the reserve/COVID-19 list. The team announced Nov. 12 that cornerback Iman Marshall tested positive, and quarterback Trace McSorley was designated Friday, indicating that he’d tested positive or had exposure to an infected person.

McSorley was the 11th Raven to be placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list since the beginning of the regular season. Defensive tackle Brandon Williams was placed on the list one day before the team’s Week 6 game against the Philadelphia Eagles after having exposure to an infected person.

Cornerback Marlon Humphrey was also sidelined after testing positive before a Week 8 game against the Steelers. Seven players deemed to be high-risk close contacts were placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list but were moved to the active roster after completing their self-quarantine. Humphrey, who played in the loss to Pittsburgh because of the turnaround time for testing, had to miss the Ravens’ Week 9 game against the Indianapolis Colts.

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