Ravens place top returner Harty (knee) on IR

• Jamison Hensley, ESPN Staff WriterOct 19, 2024, 02:50 PM ET

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  Jamison Hensley is a reporter covering the Baltimore Ravens for ESPN. Jamison joined ESPN in 2011, covering the AFC North before focusing exclusively on the Ravens beginning in 2013. Jamison won the National Sports Media Association Maryland Sportswriter of the Year award in 2018, and he authored a book titled: Flying High: Stories of the Baltimore Ravens. He was the Ravens beat writer for the Baltimore Sun from 2000-2011.

OWINGS MILLS, Md. — The Baltimore Ravens will be without their top returner for Monday night’s game at the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Deonte Harty, a former Pro Bowl returner, was placed on injured reserve on Saturday, sidelining him for four weeks. Ravens coach John Harbaugh said Harty is dealing with “a knee issue that’s been hindering him.” Harty didn’t practice all week.

In his first season with the Ravens, Harty has not made a major impact in the return game. He ranks 13th in the NFL with a 10.6-yard average on punt returns, and he is second on the team with a 24.5-yard average on kickoff returns.

With Harty sidelined, Baltimore is expected to go with Tylan Wallace on punt returns. Last season, Wallace returned a punt 76 yards for a touchdown in overtime to help the Ravens beat the Rams 37-31.

Harty made the Pro Bowl as a returner in his rookie season with the New Orleans Saints in 2019. After four seasons with the Saints, he played last season for the Bills before signing a one-year, $1.292 million contract with the Ravens.

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