ICYMI: Ravens safety Matt Elam deals with a setback

Baltimore Ravens safety Matt Elam tore his bicep in the middle of training camp in 2015 and it ended his season immediately. This year, Elam is dealing with another health concern as he has a chip in his knee that will require arthroscopic surgery and Ravens head coach John Harbaugh noted via the Ravens official website that Elam will be out for “a number of weeks.”

Elam is the final year of his rookie contract and this is a tough turn of events for him as time may be running out sooner that one would think in terms of his future with the Ravens. Elam was drafted with the 32nd overall pick of the 2013 NFL Draft by the Ravens and he has had his ups and downs.

During Elam’s rookie season, he showed promise at times as he recorded 53 tackles, two forced fumbles and one interception. Elam had pretty much the type of year you would expect from a rookie safety. In 2014, Elam had a sophomore slump as he lacked technique in coverage multiple times which caused him to miss tackles in a lot of key situations.

Over the past two seasons, Elam has become a better student of the game in practice and in the film room, but he hasn’t been available as of late due to his injury woes. And you know what they say, the best ability is availability. Hopefully Elam can make something out of the short amount of time he will see on the field during the 2016 regular season.