Jameel McClain has endured quite a bit in the last eight months.
He suffered a spinal cord contusion against Washington last December, which knocked him out for the remainder of the 2013 season and the Super Bowl.
He rehabbed and practiced this offseason, with a high likelihood that he'd be ready for the upcoming year.
However, an issue still remains where he sustained his spinal cord injury which isn't allowing doctors to clear him to play. Making matters worse, McClain was asked to take a $1.5 million pay cut last week, which could potentially be related to the injury.
Since the injury occurred last year, the Ravens are free to cut him or renegotiate his contract.
Coach John Harbaugh was asked for an update on McClain after Tuesday's practice.
"[The doctors] got to take a look at the MRI and make a determination of if he's 100 percent ready to go," Harbaugh told reporters. "There are a lot of people that probably think he could play. I think we've had this conversation now with [McClain] and his family, and we all feel like, ‘Let's be unanimous on this.' Jameel will continue to remain a part of us through the PUP. He's in every meeting [and] he's training young guys. He's staying in phenomenal shape. If you've seen him, he's a fitness warrior."
McClain becomes the starting Will linebacker when he's able to play, or at least you'd have to assume so. Josh Bynes currently holds that spot, though this offseason, defensive coordinator Dean Pees said the job is McClain's whenever he's back on the field.
In 2012, McClain had 79 tackles and a fumble recovery in 13 games. If McClain is able to play this season, Bynes stands to be the one to see his playing time decreased the most as both are primarily run defenders. Rookie Arthur Brown will probably come in during nickel situations no matter who the starting Will linebacker is.
Harbaugh acknowledged that the organization will continue to take a wait-and-see approach with McClain.
"All he's going to have to do is get back in football shape, which will take probably a week or two when he does come back," Harbaugh said. "We'll just keep taking the MRIs, and when the MRI is clear, then he'll go. The MRI will be clear. There's no question that at some point in time it will be clear. It's just impossible to tell the time frame. He could have been clear three months ago - we all hoped for that. It could be three weeks from now. If we go with the PUP [designation], which I think we will at this point, [we'll] probably get another MRI before we make that decision. If we do that, then we'll just do it again when that time comes, and we'll see where he is."
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