Smith, who is dealing with microfractures in his back, has a chance to return to action in Week 6, the Baltimore Sun reports.

Such an outcome is far from a lock though, with coach John Harbaugh having expressed a modest degree of optimism Monday with regard to the veteran wideout's chances of suiting up this weekend against the 49ers. "We'll see," Harbaugh noted of Smith, whose final Week 5 status apparently wasn't decided until game-time. "I don't know. He was in here training hard, so that's a good sign. I'm hopeful, very hopeful."

Smith (back) is inactive for Sunday's matchup against the Browns.

Smith didn't practice all week, and was fully expected to sit out the afternoon contest. In his absence, look for Kamar Aiken and Marlon Brown to start, with Darren Waller and Chris Givens next in line on the depth chart. Smith will look to return to action for Week 6's showdown in San Francisco.

Smith (back) is listed as doubtful for Sunday's game against the Browns, ESPN's Jamison Hensley reports.

Smith missed the entire week of practice, and it will be a huge surprise if he plays in Sunday's game against the Browns. Kamar Aiken and Marlon Brown figure to start at wide receiver, but Smith could return for Week 6 to knock one of the two out of the starting lineup.

Smith (back) did not take part in Friday's practice, Jamison Hensley of ESPN.com reports.

Smith said Thursday that he is "feeling good," but he is dealing with small fractures in his back and did not practice at all this week, so he is a long shot to play in Week 5. The Ravens will release an official update on Smith's status following Friday's practice.

Smith (back) did not practice Thursday.

Though Smith noted Thursday that he's "feeling good," Jeff Zrebiec of the Baltimore Sun relays that Ravens offensive coordinator Marc Trestman indicated Thursday that Smith is in line to be out Sunday against the Browns. Look for such an outcome to be officially confirmed by the team no later than the release of Friday's final Week 5 injury report.

Smith (back) did not practice Wednesday, ESPN's Jamison Hensley reports.

Per the Ravens' official site, coach John Harbaugh has backtracked a tad from a previous declaration Saturday that Smith has already been ruled out for Sunday's game against the Browns. On Monday, Harbaugh indicated that the wideout hasn't been officially ruled out, a notion that won't be cemented either way, until the Ravens release their official Week 5 injury report. "He's week-to-week," Harbaugh acknowledged. "The injury report rules people out. I've got my own thoughts on it, as I've stated, but I'm just telling you there's a process." That said, as tough as Smith is, by Friday we fully expect that the wideout will indeed be ruled out of Week 5 action.

Smith sustained small fractures in his back against the Steelers, according to Ravens head coach John Harbaugh, NFL.com reports. He has been ruled for Week 5 against the Browns.

Smith's injury is believed to be a short-term injury, as Harbaugh referred to them as "small micorfractures."

Smith (back) has been ruled out for Week 5's game against the Browns, ESPN's Jamison Hensley reports.

After conflicting reports surfaced earlier on Saturday regarding the severity and type of injury the 36-year-old was suffering from, his status for Week 5 was already dicey at best. Marlon Brown, Kamar Aiken and the newly-acquired Chris Givens will be in line for the majority of the targets with Smith, Michael Campanaro (back) and Breshard Perriman (knee) all out with an assortment of injuries.

The Ravens consider Smith week-to-week with a back injury.

While the Ravens did not go into the specifics of the wideout's back issue, per the team's statement, Smith will not require surgery. The week-to-week time-frame presented by the team suggests that Smith is probably in line to miss some time, though such an outcome has not been confirmed at this stage. To bolster a wideout corps in which Kamar Aiken and Marlon Brown represent the team's top healthy options, the Ravens acquired Chris Givens in a trade with the Rams on Saturday.

Steve Smith has four broken bones in his back, Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle reports.

Smith is currently being considered day-to-day with the injury, as it may be an ailment the veteran wideout can play through, depending on his level of pain tolerance. Smith is undoubtedly one of the toughest players in the NFL, but at 36 years old he may find it difficult to suit up while dealing with such a highly painful injury. Kamar Aiken, Marlon Brown, and new addition Chris Givens are in line to receive additional targets if Smith is forced to miss any time.

Smith left Thursday's game against the Steelers in the fourth quarter with a lower back injury, and he is questionable to return.

Following consecutive 150-yard games, Smith was surprisingly quiet Thursday night, with just four catches for 24 yards on seven targets at the time of his exit. Baltimore's receiving corps is already among the NFL's thinnest, with Smith supported by Kamar Aiken, Marlon Brown, Michael Campanaro and Darren Waller. Prior to Thursday's game, Smith had nearly twice as many yards as every other Baltimore wide receiver combined.

Smith hauled in 13-of-17 targets for 186 yards and two touchdowns Sunday against the Bengals.

No other Ravens wideout had more than 29 receiving yards and the running game generated just 36 yards, so it was Smith who nearly led the team to victory after an early deficit. The 36-year-old has exploded for 23 catches, 336 yards and two scores since being shut down by Denver in Week 1 and he is clearly still the main man in the Baltimore passing attack. Up next for Smith is a Week 4 matchup with the vulnerable Steelers secondary.

Smith exploded in Sunday's loss at Oakland, catching 10 of 16 targets for 150 yards.

Smith rebounded in a big way from Week 1's dud at Denver, although he's still looking for his first touchdown of the season. No matter, the entire Ravens' offense looked much better Sunday, including Smith, who had a long catch of 37 yards. He'll square off against division-rival Cincinnati in Week 3.

Smith will continue to return punts, the Baltimore Sun reports.

Smith served as a punt returner for the first time since 2010 in Sunday's 19-13 loss to the Broncos. He gained 32 yards on two returns, but only caught two passes for 13 yards on seven targets in a dismal showing for the Baltimore offense. Smith draws a much more favorable matchup in Week 2 against the Raiders, and he gets an unexpected boost in return-yardage leagues.

Smith caught two passes for 13 yards in Sunday's 19-13 loss to the Broncos.

Smith's low total wasn't due to a lack of looks as he was targeted seven times during the game, tied with Justin Forsett for the most on the team. Consistent pressure on Joe Flacco negatively impacted the quality of those opportunities, however, as Flacco had to get rid of the ball quickly and didn't have the opportunity to spread the defense vertically. With a very young group behind him, Smith should be counted on to be Flacco's go-to target week to week and is likely to haul in some more catches once Baltimore's offense finds its footing.

Smith was ejected from Saturday's preseason game against the Redskins, finishing with four receptions for 95 yards and a touchdown.

Smith turned an intermediate reception into a 63-yard touchdown on Baltimore's opening drive, with the entire Washington secondary seemingly fooled by a pretty standard cutback. Not done providing entertainment for the night, Smith got into a fight with Redskins CB Chris Culliver after Redskins LB Keenan Robinson laid a dirty hit on Ravens WR Kamar Aiken. Despite some offseason talk about a reduced role, Smith will enter his final NFL season as Baltimore's clear-cut No. 1 wide receiver.

Smith announced Monday that he will retire from the NFL following the upcoming 2015 season.

Smith is entering his 15th season since entering the league as a third round pick of the Panthers in 2001. While Smith went on to set numerous receiving records in Carolina, he joined the Ravens ahead of last season and enjoyed a reinvigorated 2014 season. To that point, Smith totaled 1,065 yards and six touchdowns on 79 catches after quickly developing a strong understanding with quarterback Joe Flacco. At 36 years old, Smith projects as Baltimore's No. 1 wideout heading into what will be his final NFL season this year.

Smith does not expect to have his snaps reduced this season, as he said that he and Ravens head coach John Harbaugh care too much about winning, ESPN.com's Jamison Hensley reports.

Smith's quotes should almost always be taken with a grain of salt, and that's especially true on the second day of training camp. He also said he would like to return punts, which is presumably not something the Ravens would consider. Overeager as he may be, Smith might still be on to something when it comes to his 2015 snap count. Ravens head coach John Harbaugh said during the offseason that he would like to cut back on Smith's snaps to keep the 36-year-old rested, but plans of that nature often fall by the wayside once the season begins. Unless they're feeling really confident about some combination of Breshad Perriman, Marlon Brown, Kamar Aiken and Michael Campanaro, the Ravens will likely allow Smith to play at least two-thirds of the offensive snaps. He played about 77 percent last season.

Ravens head coach John Harbaugh hopes to reduce Smith's snaps in 2015, ESPN.com reports.

The 36-year-old Smith is still expected to be a big part of the Baltimore offense, and while he'll likely hold on to a starting role, he may not play upwards of 75 percent of the offensive snaps again. It's possible the Ravens could change their minds by the time the season begins, as the team otherwise lacks other proven targets for Joe Flacco. As of right now, the Ravens are hoping some combination of Breshad Perriman, Marlon Brown, Michael Campanaro and Kamar Aiken can ease Smith's burden.

Smith plans to play in 2015 and is open to a reduced role, Baltimore Sun writer Aaron Wilson reports.

Despite his improbably productive 2014 season at 35 years old, it's probably too much to ask Smith to match his 79 catches, 1,065 yards and six touchdowns with age 36 looming in May. Be it due to Baltimore adding wideout talent in the offseason or promoting in-house players like Marlon Brown and Michael Campanaro, it appears Baltimore will closely examine the possibility of lightening Smith's workload in 2015.