OWINGS MILLS -- Sidelined since the second game of the season with a left ankle injury, Baltimore Ravens veteran wide receiver Lee Evans said he expects to play again this season.

And Evans indicated that surgery is still not an option.

However, he made no prediction on when he might return.

"I got to be effective out there," said Evans, who's been replaced in the starting lineup by rookie wide receiver Torrey Smith. "I can't just go out there just to go out there

"It's to the point now where I can't even answer any more questions about it. It's going to be what it is right now We'll see."

Evans has two catches for 45 yards this season, all against the Tennessee Titans.

However, he hasn't appeared in the lineup since that game.

“We thought it would be fine by now, and it’s just going a lot slower than we thought,” coach John Harbaugh said. "It’s been very disappointing. No one’s been more surprised than all of us. Just wait and see if the doctors can figure it out. He has to keep working on it.”

With Evans out, Smith has caught nine passes for 237 yards and three touchdowns.

"He is playing well," Evans said.

Meanwhile, rookie cornerback Jimmy Smith said that his left high ankle sprain is improving. Smith has been out since the season opener when he got hurt on special teams against the Pittsburgh Steelers.

"I'm very optimistic about the comeback," said Smith, whose lateral movement has been limited by the injury. I think my ankle is healing day to day. So far, no, no setbacks."

Cornerback Chris Carr has been inactive for three of the past four games with a left hamstring injury that has hampered him since the preseason shortly after signing his $14 million contract.

Carr has said he'll wait until he's 100 percent to try to get back on the field after suffering his latest setback in practice prior to the Ravens' 34-17 win over the New York Jets.

Inside linebacker Dannell Ellerbe is expected to be out for the next three to four games with a left hamstring injury and a right groin pull incurred against the Houston Texans. Ellerbe had just returned from a right hamstring injury.

Ellerbe had a magnetic resonance imaging exam on his leg this week to determine the extent of the damage. The Ravens signed linebacker Prescott Burgess due to Ellerbe's injury.

"I'm no trainer," Ellerbe said when asked when he'll be back. "I'm not worried about being fined. I just don't want to talk about the injury."

NOTE: The Ravens signed former Miami Dolphins offensive tackle D.J. Jones to the practice squad and cut wide receiver Rodney Bradley from the practice squad.