Kenneth Dixon suffers a torn meniscus

The Ravens promising young running back Kenneth Dixon is already slated to miss the first four games of the season with a suspension, but according to Jeff Zrebiec of the Baltimore Sun, his situation is not getting any better.

Zrebiec also reports that Dixon will have surgery today. For the time being, there is not much information on the severity of the injury. More information will come out on that front post-surgery.

A general time table for return from a meniscus tear is six to eight weeks, but it could be longer depending on the severity. Eight weeks from Dixon’s surgery today is September 19th, which would be just before Week 3, the Ravens trip to London. Assuming that Dixon is able to play after eight weeks, he still would not have served the length of his suspension. If Dixon stays in a 6-8 week timeline, then there will be no rush on his recovery, as Dixon can’t play until Week 5 to begin with.

With news of this injury, the recent addition of Bobby Rainey appears even more important. If Dixon’s injury is more severe, and keeps him out for longer than eight weeks, the depth that Rainey provides could be huge for this offense.

The best case scenario here is that Dixon’s suspension keeps him out longer than the injury would have. However, as we don’t know how severe the injury is, guessing when Dixon will return is largely a gamble. More details to come when they become known.