The injury bug hit the Baltimore Ravens quite hard during their home win over the Cincinnati Bengals on Thursday.
For one, Mark Andrews came away from the divisional contest with a cracked fibula and an ankle ligament injury. He reportedly suffered both injuries after being on the end of a hip-drop tackle from Bengals linebacker Logan Wilson.
Ravens head coach John Harbaugh said after the game that Andrews has what "looks like a season-ending injury."
If the Ravens end up sidelining Andrews for the remainder of the year, then Isaiah Likely is expected to get the nod over Charlie Kolar to be the team's starting tight end amid the three-time Pro Bowler's absence.
Who is Isaiah Likely?
The Ravens drafted Likely in the fourth round of the 2022 NFL Draft. Ravens general manager Eric DeCosta was not in desperate need of a tight end ahead of the draft but still brought in Likely to bolster the team’s depth at the position.
Likely competed with Josh Oliver to be Andrews’ go-to backup last season. The former Coastal Carolina standout ended up making the most out of his touches in the 2022 campaign. He took part in 37.7 percent of snaps on offense, and he recorded 36 receptions for 373 receiving yards.
Likely’s breakout performance came in the Ravens’ Week 18 home win over the Bengals where he posted career highs across the board, from catches (eight) to receiving yards (103).
Likely showed much promise as both a pass-catcher and a run-blocker in the season, which played into Baltimore’s call to not go all-out to re-sign Oliver during the free agency period earlier this year.
The Ravens had high expectations for Likely heading into the season. Harbaugh said in July that "it should be a big year for him."
Still, Likely has not been provided with much of an opportunity to blossom this season. The second-year tight end has been targeted just 12 times by Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson, and he sits at a mere nine receptions logged in five games played.
In the big picture, multiple Ravens players are confident that Likely and also Kolar will shine in Andrews' absence, including Jackson.
"We have Charlie and Likely," Jackson said during a press conference on Thursday. "Those guys are going to step up, and they've been playing their tail off as well, but we're going to build chemistry."
Likely sure will look to prove his worth to Baltimore's coaching staff over the rest of the season.
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