OWINGS MILLS - Donte' Stallworth was the closest approximation to a true deep threat among the Baltimore Ravens' wide receivers, and he's arguably one of the fastest players on the team.

Since Stallworth is now sidelined for two months with a broken foot that was surgically repaired Monday, the Ravens are strategizing about how to make up for his subtraction from the lineup.

"It's a blow to us as an offense because of what he brings to the table with his ability to stretch the field with his speed," three-time Pro Bowl wide receiver Anquan Boldin said. "I think we have some guys that can step up and make plays."

The Ravens' candidates for an elevated role, essentially what amounts to the fourth wide receiver job behind Boldin, Derrick Mason and Mark Clayton, are Demetrius Williams, Marcus Smith and rookie David Reed.

None possess Stallworth's pure speed, though.

Stallworth was also a candidate for the punt return job.

"It's major, he brought a lot," said Clayton, who held off Stallworth's challenge for the third receiver job. "That experience, that holds a lot of weight. He's fast. Speed kills.

"When Donte' is on the field, you know he has a chance to run by you and that opens up a lot of stuff underneath. We can't wait until he gets back, but somebody will have to step up and mentally be able to take on what he was able to do."

Clayton is questionable this week with a mild concussion, but is expected back for the regular season opener against the New York Jets.

Among the next three receivers on the depth chart, Williams is the most polished route runner and also the most experienced and tallest of the group.

The former fourth-round draft pick has above-average mobility, but his lack of durability continues to be an issue.

He returned to practice on a limited basis Monday after being sidelined for the Ravens' preseason game against the New York Giants and most of last week with a sprained right ankle.

"There's a durability factor and a consistency for Demetrius, and he'll be the first to tell you that," Ravens coach John Harbaugh said. "He's just struggled with that to no fault of his own. I thought he was having a tremendous camp. He was making plays every day.

"We didn't think it was as bad as it is. It's been a little slower than we thought, but he does need to get out there Thursday night and I know he's shooting for that. If he does get out there, I'm sure that we're going to get him the ball and see how he does."

Williams caught only eight passes for 142 yards and a touchdown last season.

He hasn't lived up to expectations since being drafted out of Oregon, and he doesn't do much on special teams.

Williams acknowledged Monday that he's not a lock to play in Thursday's preseason finale against the St. Louis Rams due to his ankle.

"The biggest thing is just to do whatever my team needs me to do," Williams said. "Pretty much the same thing I've been doing the whole time I've been here, I'm a deep threat guy."

Stallworth's injury gives Williams no joy even though it will likely trigger increased opportunities for him.

"I think it's just more bitter than anything," Williams said. "I don't want him to be hurt. He's a really good guy, and he's been through a lot in his career, and I just think that he's a really good player. We all have to make up for it as a team and as a group to pick up the slack where he was impacting."

At 6-foot-1, 225 pounds, Smith is a rugged special-teams contributor who spent all of last season on injured reserve with a torn anterior cruciate ligament.

He excels on the kickoff team and operates as a gunner on the punt team.

Against the Giants, the former fourth-round pick also showed that he can also play wide receiver with an 11-yard touchdown catch as he finished with four receptions for 29 yards.

"I worked my butt off to get back, I worked on the little things at wide receiver just to better myself coming back to the team," said Smith, who's expected to play extensively against the Rams. "It was hard for me to come back off that injury. I was trying to better myself as a receiver. I'm just trying to find my role. Now that Donte' is down, that was a really big play for me.

"I've been waiting. The opportunity might not have always been there. After three years of working, I feel like now's the time to show my abilities as a wide receiver and not just as a special-teams guy."

There's a major contrast between Williams and Smith.

Williams is a lanky finesse player. Smith is a bruiser.

"Both of them had pretty good camps," Boldin said. "Both have something different that they bring to the table. D-Will is a guy that can stretch the field with his speed. Marcus is just a physical receiver, so I'm sure he'll help us out definitely in the run game and across the middle."

Meanwhile, Reed has rebounded from a rough training camp where he dropped a lot of passes.

He caught four passes for 38 yards on one drive against the Washington Redskins. He's also a reserve kickoff returner behind Jalen Parmele.

"I feel like I'm beginning to show what I can do," Reed said. "My game is going to show itself the more chances I get to prove myself. I feel good about how I'm playing."

The Ravens have some tough calls to make as they cut the roster down to 53 players this weekend.

Since they plan to keep Stallworth on the active roster even though he's injured, they have to decide how many receivers they're going to retain.

"I think we have to sit down and figure that out over the next five days exactly how many players we want to carry at certain positions," Harbaugh said. "Does that mean we carry another wide receiver? Do we feel like we have enough wide receivers and tight ends to go ahead and keep it at the same number?

"Obviously, Donte' is going to be out for a number of weeks. He will be back, so he will be on our team. He'll have a great year when he gets back, I'm sure. That's something we've got to figure out."