Safety Matt Elam was just on his way to completing the best offseason he has had in his entire career in the National Football League (NFL); but it was cut short after suffering a bicep tear that will require a season-ending surgery.
Elam sustained the injury participating in a full-contact practice last Sunday, NFL Media Insider Ian Rapoport reported.
Even before the magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) results revealed the tear, Ravens head coach John Harbaugh had already said that he was not optimistic about Elam's injury.
The 23-year-old safety, who was selected by Baltimore 32nd overall in the 2013 NFL Draft, struggled in his first two seasons with the team and last November lost the starting job to Will Hill.
In this year's offseason, Elam was doing great trying to answer to the Ravens' challenge following two seasons in which he failed to make a strong impression.
Unfortunately for Elam, he will have to wait for another year to try and make a comeback.
"I feel bad for Matt just because he was doing so well. He had really been determined to change and improve some things he wasn't doing quite as well. It's a setback he's going to have to overcome, some adversity he's going to have to walk through and come out the other end a better player and person, which he's determined to do," Harbaugh said, according to the Associated Press.
Harbaugh added that they have no plans of bringing in a new guy in Elam's absence believing that they have enough depth at the position.
The Associated Press reported that besides Hill, the Ravens only have Brynden Trawick, Anthony Levine, Nick Perry and Kendrick Lewis as their healthy safeties.
Baltimore finished last season with a 10–6 record, beating the Pittsburgh Steelers in the Wildcard playoffs before getting eliminated in the Divisional playoffs by Super Bowl winners the New England Patriots.
