Baltimore Ravens defensive back Tavon Young could miss entire 2019 season with neck issue

Baltimore Ravens defensive back Tavon Young was absent from the proceedings when the Baltimore Ravens took on the Green Bay Packers on Thursday evening and, after the game, news broke that he won't be returning for quite some time.

"Tavon has a more serious issue than we thought," Ravens head coach John Harbaugh said. "He has a neck issue. It's a disk issue. That's a serious injury. He could be out for the remainder of the season. We'll know soon. But it doesn't look good for Tavon."  

Young suffered his neck injury in practice last week and, within the same media availability, Harbaugh indicated that there is only an "outside chance" that Young can avoid surgery. If the surgery occurs, he will miss the entire 2019 season.

"I think in his best interest -- and that's always the first consideration -- is his long-term well-being," Harbaugh continued. "If he gets the procedure done, he'll be fine and good to go. That's probably the best thing to do."

While the Ravens do have quality depth pieces in Brandon Carr and Cyrus Jones to step up in the secondary, this is a substantial blow. Young, who was a fourth-round pick in 2016, did miss the 2017 season with a torn ACL but, in advance of the 2019 campaign, he inked a three-year contract that made him the highest-paid player that specializes as a nickelback in the NFL. 

Baltimore faces 40-1 odds to win the Super Bowl and, even with Young's injury diagnosis, that isn't likely to shift. Still, the roster isn't as talented and deep as it was prior to the ailment and the Ravens will plug along toward Week 1 (on the road in Miami) without a key piece of their defense.