BALTIMORE - The Baltimore Ravens have had two rookies suffer injuries in as many preseason games.
Last week, it was cornerback Nate Wiggins who exited early with a shoulder injury against the Philadelphia Eagles before returning to practice Thursday. On Saturday, outside linebacker Adisa Isaac went to the medical tent and did not return after going down on a run play late in the fourth quarter.
When asked about Isaac after the game, Ravens coach John Harbaugh said the issue was "kind of cramping up and stuff so we'll have to see how he feels tomorrow."
The third-round draft pick out of Penn State walked off the field under his own power but eventually headed to the locker room before the end of Baltimore's 13-12 win over the Atlanta Falcons. He was not made available to the media postgame.
With three minutes to go, Falcons running back Spencer Brown took a handoff toward the left side when tight end John FitzPatrick undercut Isaac's right leg.
Isaac had shown promise in his Ravens debut before the hit. He finished with four total tackles (the team's fifth most), two of which were solo. He also played on special teams.
"He was a factor," Harbaugh said. "Rushing the passer and the run game. He's a big guy. He's explosive. He's not as far along as David [Ojabo] is as far as the condition part of it because he had the hamstring [injury]. He's gonna be sore tomorrow, I'm quite sure.
"Hopefully we can get him back in time for next week just because that's tough, to get out there and play in a real game with that kind of explosiveness, that kind of speed and it's hot out there, without as much conditioning. So I do worry about that a little bit with him, but I'm happy about the way he played, he sure looked good."
Inside linebacker Trenton Simpson wore the green dot Saturday, meaning first-year defensive coordinator Zach Orr was in his ear communicating each defensive play call. Simpson loved Isaac's eagerness from his first snap.
"That speed, that tenacity and that young motor - I'm excited for him," Simpson said. "It's been awesome because he's so willing to learn and he's just hoping to grow. … He's gonna have a great future ahead of him."
The Ravens' win came down to a goal line stand in the waning minute.
After the Falcons drove 80 yards on 11 plays for a touchdown, capped by running back Jase McClellan's 3-yard run up the middle with 36 seconds left, Atlanta went for two since there are no overtime periods in the preseason. Falcons quarterback John Paddock again handed the ball off to McClellan, but outside linebacker Tavius Robinson burst off the line untouched for a game-saving tackle.
It would have been Isaac in that spot had he not gone down.
Even though Robinson subbed in for the burgeoning Isaac, the 2023 fourth-round pick noticed both during Saturday's game and throughout training camp the potential for Isaac to be a legitimate contributor among the Ravens' pass rush group.
"He plays relentless," Robinson said. "I think he's a dawg. Seeing him in camp, the way he runs to the ball, seeing how physical he is, how we strive to play up front, he's got that. He's gonna be a great addition to our D-line for sure."
Pass rush coach Chuck Smith first got wind of Isaac when Penn State "beat the brakes" out of Auburn on Sept. 17, 2022. Smith said earlier this week that Isaac's explosiveness and power jumped off the page.
"[We] wanted someone that can fit in, has the right mindset that can work in a team, because the team is kind of like a puzzle," Smith said. "All the pieces have got to fit, and our room has got to be like that as well. I like Adisa. He's out there just getting started. It's exciting to see him do some good things."
