The Baltimore Ravens didn’t make the most of their window last season. Now, they’ll be a slightly diminished team, at least on the defensive side of the field, and things won’t get any easier for them. That’s why the offense will have to step up big time in Todd Monken’s second year of calling the shots there.
And with Mark Andrews set to return to his usual role in the passing game, that will leave Isaiah Likely as either the odd man out or the X-factor. Notably, it seems like it’ll be the second. According to the talented tight end, he’s been putting in a lot of work with Monken to figure out a way to stay on the field and remain involved in the offense, and they came to the solution of using him not only as a tight end but all over the field (via ProFootballTalk):
“It’s being a chess piece, being anywhere ‘Monk’ needs me to be in this offense – whether it’s in the slot, in-line, in the backfield, split out wide by myself,” Likely said, via the Ravens’ website. “The more you know, the more you can stay on the field.”
Isaiah Likely says he’ll be all over the field in the Ravens’ offense this season. https://t.co/s2OTdGGl1M
— ProFootballTalk (@ProFootballTalk) June 25, 2024
Needless to say, this is an interesting experiment, and it’ll require plenty of hard work from Likely to be that kind of Swiss-army knife. Andrews has always been Lamar Jackson’s preferred target in the passing game, and the team is better when he’s around, but Likely has also earned his stripes and is deserving of a role in the passing game, so this makes perfect sense.
Also, the Ravens will need someone to carry the load besides Zay Flowers and Andrews, and they will make the most of their savvy and creative offensive coordinator and the resources they have at hand.
