State of the Ravens: Tight Ends

Welcome to the fourth day of State of the Ravens! I hope you’ve enjoyed my coverage thus far. My first three reports covered the quarterback, running back, and wide receiver rooms; if you’ve missed those, feel free to check ’em out here.

Here on Day 4, we’re moving right along to the Ravens’ tight end situation, which is the deepest and best in the league. Todd Monken has the luxury of having two legitimate TE1s on his squad, and the depth behind them is no joke, either. With that being said, let’s take a look at what the depth chart will probably look like:

Depth Chart

Mark Andrews — Isaiah Likely — Charlie Kolar

Ravens fans and coaches alike know what this team has in Mark Andrews. In addition to being a great teammate and hard worker, he’s an absolute beast on the field. Before he went down with injury, “Mandrews” was on pace for 840 yards and nine touchdowns, numbers that are pretty close to his previous season-long outputs. And, while we’ll probably never again see the 1,300+ yard season he put up in 2021, Andrews unquestionably remains a top-5 tight end in this league—and Lamar Jackson’s favorite target. Reports out of minicamp indicate that the duo is back to its usual lethal self, with Jackson dishing it to #89 whenever he can.

When Andrews went down with that ankle injury against Cincy, this team needed second-year player Isaiah Likely to step up. And boy did he ever. It took a couple games for him to jell with Lamar, but once they started clicking, the connection was electric. Projected over a full season, the Coastal Carolina product would’ve put up 873 yards and 10 touchdowns; TE1 stuff, for sure. Likely provided fans and the front office with several memorable moments throughout the season; making a ridiculous grab in double-coverage on SNF in Jacksonville, snagging the ball with one hand on 4th & 7 and taking it all the way against Miami, and getting wide open for a touchdown against Houston in the divisional. More highlights are on the way this season, and the Ravens have to be thrilled. They found a stud in this 5th-round tight end.

But, we still need to talk about the other 2022 5th-round TE. Charlie Kolar, drafted out of Iowa State, was actually taken before Likely, but despite his awesome haircut has struggled to see the field. He’s very talented—no denying that—and would probably be #2 on the depth chart on 31/32 rosters. Unfortunately for him, he’s on that 32nd team. Kolar has only 11 career receptions for 136 yards and one touchdown, averaging 12.4 yards a catch. In what looks to be a bad sign for his future, he only played 23% of offensive snaps last season, down from 28% in his rookie campaign, despite Andrews’ injury. He did see more work on special teams, playing 59% of the snaps there, up from a meager 8% in 2022. Kolar, to his credit, appeared in more games last season (15 vs. two), earning three starts, which makes his decreased snap percentages even more perplexing. He’s a guy who needs (and deserves!) reps, but there simply isn’t much room for him to get meaningful playing time. After all, you can only put eleven guys on the field at once. Barring injury, I really only see him playing in 3-TE sets and in garbage time in 2024.

Speaking of scheme, Monken needs to run more 2-TE looks this season. Andrews and Likely on the field at once could be very, very dangerous for opposing defenses. After what he did at the end of last season, there’s no way the Ravens can ask Likely to again take a backseat to the offense. Having Lamar, Derrick Henry, Andrews, Likely, Zay Flowers, and Rashod Bateman all on the field at once will do nothing but give opponents headaches.

With that in mind, let’s look at the organization’s three year plan:

Three-Year Plan

Both Andrews and Likely are set to hit free agency after the 2025 season, and the Ravens will probably only be able to keep one. That’s the nature of a salary cap league. There’s always the possibility Andrews gets traded next offseason, elevating Likely to TE1, but it seems more likely he is extended again and they let Likely walk. Either way, it will be very tough to keep both players around, and EDC will have his work cut out for him. Kolar’s contract expires at the same time, and he has yet to give the team reason to bring him back. Look for DeCosta to take a mid-round TE either the 2025 or ’26 Draft to be his replacement.

That’s all for Day 4! Check back tomorrow for the 5th and final day of my breakdown of the offense, where we’ll look at the guys in the trenches. There’s been a lot of turnover on the offensive line this offseason, making that report a must-read.

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