When Baltimore Ravens tight end Mark Andrews went down with a season-ending injury, Isaiah Likely stepped into his role as the starter and has been producing at a high level ever since.
"It's funny, the guys that see him in practice every day are kind of like hey what have you been waiting for," Ravens head coach John Harbaugh said. "He's been that way since he got here, making those kind of plays. Just the experience, the game-playing experience has really kind of gotten to the point where he's been able to get the confidence out there and say 'Hey I can really do this in big games.' He's been great, it's been fun to watch."
Andrews suffered an ankle injury in a Week 11 game against the Cincinnati Bengals that cost him at least the remainder of the regular season. In his absence, Likely has been asked to step up and produce.
In the five games since Andrews' injury, Likely has caught 19 passes for 291 yards and four touchdowns. This season, he's up to 380 receiving yards and four touchdowns, both of which are career-highs.
Likely was drafted by Baltimore in the fourth round of the 2022 NFL Draft out of Coastal Carolina. During his rookie season, he showed flashes of being a talented tight end, but was stuck behind Andrews much of the time. While that story has continued to be true for much of this season, Likely has gotten time as the starting tight end and has been able to show what he is capable of in a bigger offensive role.
The Ravens have one more regular season game next Sunday at 4:30 p.m. at home against the Pittsburgh Steelers. It is unclear how many starters will be playing for Baltimore as it has already clinched the one seed in the AFC and a first-round bye.
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