John Harbaugh gives injury update on Deonte Harty ahead of Ravens-Bills matchup

As it is The Baltimore Ravens are preparing for a Divisional Round showdown against the Buffalo Bills, the Pride of Charm City will need every effort to leave New York State with a win. But could the Ravens really get a much-needed boost in that pursuit in the form of wide receiver/returner Deonte Harty, who is out of commission since October?

Discussing the possibility of Harty coming off IR to face his former team in Week 20, John Harbaugh noted that he is not quite sure, since the 27-year-old has returned to training, but he is not sure if that means he’ll be on the field against the law.

“I’m not sure yet.” (Deonte Harty) hasn’t been out very long, and he’s had a physical situation, he’s had some personal things that he’s been dealing with, but he worked hard in practice last week. We just need to make sure the guy is ready, fit and mentally ready. He tells me… He is ready in his mind; I can tell you that. “He wants to play, and we’ll just have to see, but Steven (Simms) is a guy we have confidence in as well,” Harbaugh told reporters.

“I know he had some ground balls last week. It was windy. (The Steelers player) was a lefty. He bombed the ball, for sure. On the first one, I don’t know if he lost track of where he was, but we don’t want to retreat inside the 8-yard line and catch those types of punts. Just let it… Give him a chance to get into the end zone, so he’d love to get it back. Then he decided not to play two more, and it worked out for us as they bounced, but he did well. He’s an experienced guy, and he’ll do well there. So we’re safe, or if Tylan (Wallace) was there, we’ll be safe with Tylan. All those guys are doing a good job.”

While Harty was out, the Ravens got quality production from their other returners, with Tylan Wallace averaging 11.2 yards per six returns, Steven Simmons averaging 4.6 per five and Desmond King leading the club. with a 12.7 yards per return average on just three attempts. Still, if Harty can go, it wouldn’t be the worst idea to give him a chance, as he was signed to play this role for the Ravens and did so effectively earlier this year before a knee injury sidelined him. Considering he has experience on Matthew Smiley’s special teams unit, who knows, maybe Harty could have a shot at making a big comeback against the Bills in the Divisional Round.