The Baltimore Ravens fear they've lost nickelback Tavon Young to another season-ending injury.
On the second defensive series of the Ravens' 33-16 victory over the Houston Texans on Sunday, Young leapt in the air to break up a pass and landed hard on the NRG Stadium turf in Houston. He departed the game with a left knee injury and never returned.
After the game, Ravens coach John Harbaugh said it looks as though Young is done for the season.
"For a guy that we love and we care about and has been through so much already, we know he'll tackle this challenge as well," Harbaugh said.
Young later tweeted, "If there's one thing I know, you can't question God, Great Win today."
If there's one thing I know, you can't question God, Great Win today 💪🏾
— Tavon Young (@TY_Real1) September 20, 2020
The Ravens are deep at cornerback and can replace Young in a couple of ways. Baltimore can use third-year reserve Anthony Averett at nickelback or put Jimmy Smith, a former six-year starter, on the outside and move Marlon Humphrey to nickelback against three-wide receiver sets.
This is the latest setback for Young, who had missed two of the previous three full seasons with a serious injury. Young, 26, tore his ACL during the 2017 offseason and then saw his 2019 season ended by a neck injury in training camp.
Now, it appears that Young's season is over in Week 2.
A fourth-round pick in 2016, Young became the NFL's highest-paid nickelback 19 months ago, when he signed a three-year, $25.8 million deal that included a $10 million signing bonus. He's played only one full game since.
Young is the second Ravens cornerback to suffer a season-ending injury. Iman Marshall, a fourth-round pick in 2019, sustained a major knee injury early in training camp.