Ravens Rookie Sidelined After Surgery
![Iowa State Cyclones' defensive back T.J. Tampa (2) warms up during the university's Spring Football game at Jack Trice Stadium Saturday, April 22, 2023, in Ames, Iowa Iowa State Cyclones' defensive back T.J. Tampa (2) warms up during the university's Spring Football game at Jack Trice Stadium Saturday, April 22, 2023, in Ames, Iowa](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_crop,w_3000,h_1687,x_0,y_0/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/images/ImagnImages/mmsport/raven_country/01j3ba7sjdx4nhtncmkj.jpg)
Baltimore Ravens rookie cornerback T.J. Tampa will miss the next few weeks as he recovers from hernia surgery, Jeff Zrebiec of The Athletic reports. This news comes less than a week after the Ravens placed him on the PUP list on Monday.
Tampa, a fourth-round pick out of Iowa State, had been available throughout OTAs and mandatory minicamp, so him going on the PUP list came as a surprise. As Zrebiec revealed, though, he had surgery just after minicamp and still needs more time to recover.
The good news is that Tampa should be ready to go by the start of the regular season, but his status for preseason games remains to be seen.
Tampa started 24 games for Iowa State over the past two seasons and established himself as one of the best corners in the nation. He finished his career with 106 total tackles, 22 passes defended, three interceptions and 9.5 tackles for loss in 46 games played over four seasons. He was a first-team All-Big 12 selection and third-team All-American last season.
Despite that, Tampa fell to Baltimore at the end of the fourth round (No. 130 overall), significantly later than many expected him to go. Other teams' loss is the Ravens' gain, though, and Tampa is expected to add quality depth to the secondary along with fellow rookie Nate Wiggins, a first-round pick out of Clemson.