John Harbaugh says he isn’t worried about the Ravens injury situation, but should he be?

Another day, and another slew of injuries for the Ravens. Today, the team reported that tight end Crockett Gillmore will miss the entire season. Undrafted free agent wide receiver Quincy Adeboyejo and fourth round pick guard Nico Siragusa were both carted off the field today at practice. Breshad Perriman also reportedly went down with an injury today. He was not carted off, but the severity of Adeboyejo, Siragusa and Perriman’s injuries are all unknown. The team also reported today that Maurice Canady will miss time, but he may be able to return at some point this season.

Today’s injury news follows in a chain of days where the Ravens have been dealt bad news after more bad news. Joe Flacco, Tavon Young and Dennis Pitta are among a large group of players that have dealt with injuries at some point this summer.

But according to Jeff Zrebiec of the Baltimore Sun, Ravens head coach John Harbaugh is not concerned about the injuries that continue to pile up.

Harbaugh can say that the team can thrive on a next-man-up mentality, that there is no need to be concerned with the current state of injuries on the team, but should he?

For the most part, the Ravens are losing key contributors to injuries, none more notable than Flacco. With Flacco out, the offense has been abysmal in training camp, forcing the question of Colin Kaepernick to burn even hotter in the team’s front office. For when Flacco does return, his receiving corps is depleting. He has already lost Gillmore and Pitta, and depending on how severe Perriman’s injury is, the limited depth at the wide receiver position will be tested.

On defense, losing Tavon Young meant that the Ravens would need to find a new top slot corner, and now that Maurice Canady will be missing time, the Ravens must now turn to a third option.

No matter how improved this Ravens team looks on paper compared to a year ago, if injuries keep taking key contributors out of the lineup, then there is just reason to be concerned. The starters are starters for a reason, because not only are they the team’s best players, but they are the players that will best help the team succeed. If the Ravens are forced to rely on its backups due to injury, then this team will never reach the full potential of what it can be, and that is a Super Bowl contending team.

Amazingly, there hasn’t even been a preseason game yet, there have not been many opportunities for players to put on pads and really hit each other. Yet, the Ravens already have been depleted of some of its key players due to injuries. If the Ravens are having this type of luck with injuries now, then there is real reason to worry about what happens when the pads come on.

Right now, Harbaugh is putting out a calming message, saying that the team will be just fine. With over a month to go until the first game of the season, some of the Ravens minor injuries will have time to recover. Concern isn’t at a fever pitch at the moment, but if these injuries continue, expect the level to ramp up, rapidly.