KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The Baltimore Ravens placed running back Rasheen Ali on injured reserve and signed linebacker Josh Ross to their active roster just hours before they opened the season against the Kansas City Chiefs on Thursday night.
The Ravens also activated defensive back Ka’dar Hollman and running back John Kelly from the practice squad for the game.
Ali, a fifth-round pick out of Marshall, was the No. 3 running back on the Baltimore depth chart behind newly acquired Derrick Henry and Justice Hill. He had been listed as doubtful for the game with a neck injury.
Ross has appeared in seven games for the Ravens over the past two seasons but was among their final cuts last month.
Offensive lineman Malaesala Aumavae-Laulu and Nick Samac were inactive for Baltimore. So were cornerback T.J. Tampa, safety Beau Brade, outside linebacker Adisa Isaac, defensive end Brent Urban and wide receiver Devontez Walker.
The Chiefs already had ruled out wide receiver Marquise Brown, who dislocated the sternoclavicular joint in his shoulder after making a catch in their preseason opener against Jacksonville. Doctors were able to set the shoulder without surgery, which the team hoped would speed up his recovery, but Brown has yet to take part in a full practice since the injury.
“He’s at the point where he can laugh without pain,” Veach said last week.
Kansas City signed defensive tackle Marlon Tuipulotu to the active roster Tuesday, then made him inactive 90 minutes prior to kickoff. Offensive linemen Ethan Driskell and CJ Hanson along with tight end Peyton Hendershot also were inactive.
That meant the Chiefs had wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster and running back Samaje Perine available a week after bringing them aboard. Smith-Schuster was released by the Patriots last month and returned to the team where he won a Super Bowl ring two years ago, while Perine was signed by the Chiefs after he was released by the AFC West rival Broncos.
Smith-Schuster provides experience for a wide receiver group led by second-year pro Rashee Rice and rookie Xavier Worthy.
“We welcomed JuJu back with open arms,” Chiefs coach Andy Reid said. “He’s healthy and ready to go. His knee — he had the knee before, but we were able to manage that. We’ll continue to manage it. He looks great right now. He jumped right back in and had some practice with us. It’s just a matter of getting banged around a bit after not being in camp.”