OWINGS MILLS, Md. (AP) — The Baltimore Ravens made two additions to their secondary this week — and now another key player might be on his way back.
Kyle Hamilton was at practice Wednesday after missing last weekend's loss to Houston with a groin problem. Baltimore was still without several key players — including Lamar Jackson — during the portion of practice open to reporters, but the situation in the back end of the defense is looking a bit less dire.
Baltimore's defense has already allowed 177 points in five games. The Ravens (1-4) can't afford to wait until the trade deadline to fix that. On Tuesday, they signed safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson to the practice squad and traded for safety Alohi Gilman.
“I woke up today and I was like, ‘Dang, there’s two new faces in the room.’ So, it’s a little different, but you realize that it’s your job,” rookie safety Malaki Starks said. “There’s a sense of urgency that goes behind it.”
Gardner-Johnson and Gilman were both at practice Wednesday, along with Hamilton. Cornerback Marlon Humphrey (calf) was not. Neither were Jackson (hamstring) or linebacker Roquan Smith (hamstring). Tackle Ronnie Stanley (ankle) was on the field, but he practiced some last week and still wasn't available for the game against the Texans.
“Same with all the guys that are dealing with the different injuries,” coach John Harbaugh said. "I think it’ll be indicative as the week goes along and what their status will be going forward.”
Baltimore hosts the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday. Then the Ravens get a much-needed open date before the schedule eases up a bit.
The 27-year-old Gardner-Johnson joins the Ravens a couple weeks after being cut by Houston. He was released after only three games with the Texans. They had acquired him from Philadelphia in an offseason trade.
“I’ve always liked the way he played. He brings it,” Harbaugh said. “He’s a ‘bring it’ attitude guy. He’s a physical player, a lot of juice and a lot of energy.”
Gilman, who turned 28 last month, was a starter in the secondary for the Chargers. Even if Hamilton is back, the Ravens could use help in a defensive backfield where three rookies — including two who were undrafted — started last weekend.
Harbaugh said there's a chance Gilman can play right away this weekend. He'll have had a chance to catch his breath after a busy 24 hours surrounding the trade.
“I’ve been awake for about 21 of them. It’s been a long day,” Gilman said. “I’m still processing everything. It’s been cool to be here, and everyone’s been opening up their arms and just showing the hospitality. I have a little bit of history with Maryland. I was at the Naval Academy out of high school, so it has a special place in my heart.”
Gilman will now transition from being coached by Jim Harbaugh in Los Angeles to being coached by his brother John in Baltimore.
“I’m excited to see the similarities and differences,” Gilman said. “Obviously, I have a lot of respect for both of them.”
Although the secondary has been a point of weakness for Baltimore, so has the pass rush, so losing edge rusher Odafe Oweh in the trade for Gilman could be significant. However, there's still plenty of time before the Nov. 4 trade deadline to add more on defense.
“It’s twofold — the guys (we currently have) will be in there, and their reps will ramp up. We’ll see how they handle it and see if they can get to the quarterback,” Harbaugh said. "Then, I’m sure until the trade deadline, those are going to be conversations that will be had.”
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Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson heads off the field following an NFL football game against the Kansas City Chiefs Sunday, Sept. 28, 2025, in Kansas City, Mo. (AP Photo/Ed Zurga)
Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Tyquan Thornton (80) catches a touchdown pass as Baltimore Ravens safety Kyle Hamilton defends during the second half of an NFL football game Sunday, Sept. 28, 2025, in Kansas City, Mo. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)
HAVANA (AP) — Cuban soldiers wearing white gloves marched out of a plane on Thursday carrying urns with the remains of the 32 Cuban officers killed during a stunning U.S. attack on Venezuela as trumpets and drums played solemnly at Havana's airport.
Nearby, thousands of Cubans lined one of Havana’s most iconic streets to await the bodies of colonels, lieutenants, majors and captains as the island remained under threat by the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump.
The soldiers' shoes clacked as they marched stiff-legged into the headquarters of the Ministry of the Armed Forces, next to Revolution Square, with the urns and placed them on a long table next to the pictures of those killed so people could pay their respects.
Thursday’s mass funeral was only one of a handful that the Cuban government has organized in almost half a century.
Hours earlier, state television showed images of more than a dozen wounded people described as “combatants” accompanied by Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez arriving Wednesday night from Venezuela. Some were in wheelchairs.
Those injured and the remains of those killed arrived as tensions grow between Cuba and the U.S., with Trump recently demanding that the Caribbean country make a deal with him before it is “too late.” He did not explain what kind of deal.
Trump also has said that Cuba will no longer live off Venezuela's money and oil. Experts warn that the abrupt end of oil shipments could be catastrophic for Cuba, which is already struggling with serious blackouts and a crumbling power grid.
Officials unfurled a massive flag at Havana's airport as President Miguel Díaz-Canel, clad in military garb as commander of Cuba's Armed Forces, stood silent next to former President Raúl Castro, with what appeared to be the relatives of those killed looking on nearby.
Cuban Interior Minister Lázaro Alberto Álvarez Casa said Venezuela was not a distant land for those killed, but a “natural extension of their homeland.”
“The enemy speaks to an audience of high-precision operations, of troops, of elites, of supremacy,” Álvarez said in apparent reference to the U.S. “We, on the other hand, speak of faces, of families who have lost a father, a son, a husband, a brother.”
Álvarez called those slain “heroes,” saying that they were an example of honor and “a lesson for those who waver.”
“We reaffirm that if this painful chapter of history has demonstrated anything, it is that imperialism may possess more sophisticated weapons; it may have immense material wealth; it may buy the minds of the wavering; but there is one thing it will never be able to buy: the dignity of the Cuban people,” he said.
Thousands of Cubans lined a street where motorcycles and military vehicles thundered by with the remains of those killed.
“They are people willing to defend their principles and values, and we must pay tribute to them,” said Carmen Gómez, a 58-year-old industrial designer, adding that she hopes no one invades given the ongoing threats.
When asked why she showed up despite the difficulties Cubans face, Gómez replied, “It’s because of the sense of patriotism that Cubans have, and that will always unite us.”
Cuba recently released the names and ranks of 32 military personnel — ranging in age from 26 to 60 — who were part of the security detail of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro during the raid on his residence on January 3. They included members of the Revolutionary Armed Forces and the Ministry of the Interior, the island’s two security agencies.
Cuban and Venezuelan authorities have said that the uniformed personnel were part of protection agreements between the two countries.
A demonstration was planned for Friday across from the U.S. Embassy in an open-air forum known as the Anti-Imperialist Tribune. Officials have said they expect the demonstration to be massive.
“People are upset and hurt. There’s a lot of talk on social media; but many do believe that the dead are martyrs” of a historic struggle against the United States, analyst and former diplomat Carlos Alzugaray told The Associated Press.
In October 1976, then-President Fidel Castro led a massive demonstration to bid farewell to the 73 people killed in the bombing of a Cubana de Aviación civilian flight financed by anti-revolutionary leaders in the U.S. Most of the victims were Cuban athletes.
In December 1989, officials organized “Operation Tribute” to honor the more than 2,000 Cuban combatants who died in Angola during Cuba’s participation in the war that defeated the South African army and ended the apartheid system. In October 1997, memorial services were held following the arrival of the remains of guerrilla commander Ernesto “Che” Guevara and six of his comrades, who died in 1967.
The latest mass burial is critical to honor those slain, said José Luis Piñeiro, a 60-year-old doctor who lived four years in Venezuela.
“I don’t think Trump is crazy enough to come and enter a country like this, ours, and if he does, he’s going to have to take an aspirin or some painkiller to avoid the headache he’s going to get,” Piñeiro said. “These were 32 heroes who fought him. Can you imagine an entire nation? He’s going to lose.”
A day before the remains of those killed arrived in Cuba, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced $3 million in aid to help the island recover from the catastrophic Hurricane Melissa, which struck in late October.
The first flight took off from Florida on Wednesday, and a second flight was scheduled for Friday. A commercial vessel also will deliver food and other supplies.
“We have taken extraordinary measures to ensure that this assistance reaches the Cuban people directly, without interference or diversion by the illegitimate regime,” Rubio said, adding that the U.S. government was working with Cuba's Catholic Church.
The announcement riled Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez.
“The U.S. government is exploiting what appears to be a humanitarian gesture for opportunistic and politically manipulative purposes,” he said in a statement. “As a matter of principle, Cuba does not oppose assistance from governments or organizations, provided it benefits the people and the needs of those affected are not used for political gain under the guise of humanitarian aid.”
Coto contributed from San Juan, Puerto Rico.
Follow AP’s coverage of Latin America and the Caribbean at https://apnews.com/hub/latin-america
Military members pay their last respects to Cuban officers who were killed during the U.S. operation in Venezuela that captured Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, at the Ministry of the Revolutionary Armed Forces where the urns containing the remains are displayed during a ceremony in Havana, Cuba, Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Ramon Espinosa)
A motorcade transports urns containing the remains of Cuban officers, who were killed during the U.S. operation in Venezuela that captured Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, through Havana, Cuba, Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Ramon Espinosa)
Soldiers carry urns containing the remains of Cuban officers, who were killed during the U.S. operation in Venezuela that captured Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, at the Ministry of the Revolutionary Armed Forces in Havana, Cuba, Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026. (Adalberto Roque /Pool Photo via AP)
A motorcade transports urns containing the remains of Cuban officers, who were killed during the U.S. operation in Venezuela that captured Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, through Havana, Cuba, Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Ramon Espinosa)
A motorcade transports urns containing the remains of Cuban officers, who were killed during the U.S. operation in Venezuela that captured Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, through Havana, Cuba, Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Ramon Espinosa)
People line the streets of Havana, Cuba, Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026, to watch the motorcade carrying urns containing the remains of Cuban officers killed during the U.S. operation in Venezuela that captured Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro. (AP Photo/Ramon Espinosa)
Workers fly the Cuban flag at half-staff at the Anti-Imperialist Tribune near the U.S. Embassy in Havana, Cuba, Monday, Jan. 5, 2026, in memory of Cubans who died two days before in Caracas, Venezuela during the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro by U.S. forces. (AP Photo/Ramon Espinosa)
