Seems like injuries are the big topic of conversation this week, and I figured I'd try to put everything in one place to help sort things out (we've got about 5 threads talking about different players' injuries or roster spots right now). What do you think about what's going on?

The moves so far have been:

10/16
Webb to IR
Bobby Rainey from PS to Active Roster

10/17
Suggs off PUP
Lewis to IR/Designated to Return
Josh Bynes (LB) from PS to Active Roster
Nigel Carr (LB) signed to PS
Jordan Mabin (CB) signed to PS

For those of you who don't remember all the way back to preseason, Carr and Mabin were UFAs whom the team ended up waiving after the final round of roster cuts. Many people were particularly impressed with Carr and saw him as a potential project who could end up as a decent special teamer/backup like Ellerbe.

Next steps: The team will have three weeks from today to evaluate Suggs and decide whether to add him to the active roster (they can add him before then if they think he's ready). After three weeks, he either must be added to the active roster or placed on IR. Odds are pretty strongly against IR, since the team could have waited longer to bring him back if he really wouldn't be ready. My guess is that he'll be on the active roster in time for the Cleveland game, although whether he plays is a different question. When that happens, Josh Bynes will probably get demoted back to the practice squad (he seems to have been called up for depth at LB) and Jordan Mabin will be looking for somewhere else to play (the team is fairly deep at CB, and Carr seemed to impress more in the preseason).

On Ray Lewis's return designation: I'm a big fan of this move, as I've mentioned elsewhere. Don't kid yourself: Ray will not be coming back to contribute on the field this season. Torn triceps have a four month recovery timeline, the playoffs end 15 weeks from now, and the man is 37 years old. In my opinion, this is a symbolic move: the team is leaving open the option for Ray to come back this season so they can have him around in the playoffs. If the Ravens make it to the AFCCG or the Super Bowl, expect the team to reactivate Ray. But don't expect them to start him. He'll spend most of those games on the sideline, but he'll be there to pump up the team and -- perhaps most importantly, get his ring. Think of the story that we just barely missed out on last year: after a phenomenal 16-year career, Ray Lewis leads his team through the playoffs and to the Super Bowl, feels the confetti and gets his second ring, and rides off into the sunset. Well, the team missed that chance, and you could tell that for many of the players, this season looked like their second shot at it. That goes for the coaches too. I expect that Lewis was given the return designation so that, if we can make it that deep, the team can reactivate him and have him on the roster for the confetti and rings. And maybe that presence will give the rest of the team what they need to make it happen.