Baltimore Ravens placed Nnamdi Madubuike and Broderick Washington (both knee) on the injured reserve list ahead of Week 4’s matchup against the Chiefs.

The team will have to rely on the defensive line depth in the coming month as both defensive tackles are out for at least 4 games. Brent Urban will be the first to go, as he was added to the active list on Saturday. C.J. The Ravens have also promoted C.J. Okoye, Josh Tupou and the rest of the practice squad will be playing in Kansas City on Sunday.

Madubuike’s absence is going to be especially difficult to handle, as the Lions’ loss last week showed. It’s impossible to replicate his impact without at least one player improving their performance. If Madubuike is not on the field, opponents can easily double-team Travis Jones and force Baltimore’s other defensive players to make plays. None of them did in Weeks 1, 3 or 4.

Washington’s loss is a blow to the depth of the team, even though he wasn’t off to a good start this season. The Ravens signed the sixth-year defensive lineman to a 3-year extension back in 2023, but he hasn’t been as productive as they hoped. Washington’s grades from Pro Football Focus also dropped since then; this year he has a 27,7 for run defense, and a 30.4 overall. Both are the lowest scores of any defensive linemen (min. 40 snaps). Washington’s replacement could be an improvement, even though the Ravens still have to replace his snaps.

Both players’ long-term prospects remain unclear. John Harbaugh declined to provide specifics about the neck injury Madubuike sustained, but his team is clearly worried about the future of the player. He will likely miss more than four matches.

Harbaugh seemed more optimistic about Washington on Wednesday. However, further evaluation has revealed a much more serious issue. Washington’s minimum four-game suspension on IR will not expire until Week 8 because the Ravens are off in Week 7. He should be able to return to practice and play in Week 9, ideally as soon as he is eligible.