Weeks after the Ravens lost their veteran tight end Mark Andrews to injury, a veteran tight end hit the market when Zach Ertz was granted release from the Arizona Cardinals. It seemed fortuitous for Baltimore, but Ravens coach John Harbaugh said he’s satisfied with the current group.
“Any time a great player’s out there, sure, you look at it,” Harbaugh said. “But I would say this about that right now: We like our tight ends.”
In the Ravens’ first game without Andrews, second-year tight end Isaiah Likely stepped up as the team’s primary starter. He led the team in catches through the first half, with four grabs for 40 yards against the Los Angeles Chargers.
Likely has also shown he can shine when responsibility is thrust on his shoulders. Last season, in his second start ever (both were due to injuries to Andrews), he had eight catches for 103 yards against the Cincinnati Bengals in the final game of the regular season.
With Andrews out against the Chargers, Likely took 73% of the snaps. Charlie Kolar played the other 27%. Kolar has mostly contributed on special teams up to this point, but he had one catch for 13 yards in the Ravens’ Week 2 game against the Bengals.
“The guys that we have, our young guys, they’re real guys, they’re real players,” Harbaugh said. “I think right now, we’ll roll with those guys.”
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