After having some of the best injury luck in the league last year, the Ravens were tested in the opening days of camp. Yesterday’s practice ended when tight end Isaiah Likely rolled his ankle and needed to be carted off the field. Per Jeff Zrebiec of The Athletic, head coach John Harbaugh told reporters that Likely would miss a few weeks. News broke this morning that Likely suffered a small fracture in his foot and will be undergoing surgery this week to repair the broken bone, per NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport. 
It’s an unfortunate development for Likely as he heads into the final year of his rookie contract, but the diagnosis is actually a bit of a relief for player and team. Early estimates predict about a six-week recovery for the 25-year-old, with thoughts that it could be a shorter recovery period depending on the results of the surgery. A full six weeks from today puts us midway through Weeks 1 & 2, and if he can get an expedited recovery, he could be back on the field in time for the season opener.
The Ravens aren’t likely to try to rush him back onto the field, though. They’ll be okay with him getting a late start to the season — a much better predicament than what a more severe injury could have put them in. It’s a long season, and they’ll be careful and sure that he’s ready to come back.
Likely doesn’t need to prove himself to Baltimore. Though his career-high totals from last year were modest (42 catches, 477 yards, six touchdowns), Likely has flashed serious ability over his three years in the league. It’s hard to get snaps from behind an All-Pro, three-time Pro Bowler, and franchise touchdown leader in Mark Andrews, but the Ravens have had trouble keeping Likely off the field. On occasions when Andrews has missed time with injury, Likely has shown full potential to function as a team’s TE1.
Per Pro Football Focus (subscription required), though Andrews ranked as the fourth-best tight end in the NFL last year, Likely was right behind him at seventh. They were one of only two teams to have two players in the top ten; Minnesota’s duo of T.J. Hockenson and Josh Oliver ranked eighth and ninth, respectively.
Baltimore is in good hands, though. TE3, who will now step up in Likely’s absence, is Charlie Kolar. Kolar ranked 20th in the league, per PFF, and when ranking tight ends purely by their receiving grades, Andrews, Kolar, and Likely appear at fourth, eighth, and ninth, respectively. Kolar will now have to keep those analytic grades up with more opportunities early in the season until Likely can get back. Also, playing in the final year of his rookie deal, Kolar could have a chance to prove himself to the free agent market, as well.
It will be interesting to see if Baltimore puts Likely on an injured list that would require him to miss the first four games of the season or if they decide to keep him on the active roster to avoid the forced absences. It could also throw a wrinkle in their roster-building plans if they decide to roster an extra tight end until Likely is full-go.
If so, it might require a free agent signing, considering the only two tight ends on the roster behind Andrews, Likely, and Kolar are Sam Pitz — an undrafted rookie — and Zaire Mitchell-Paden — a player who has failed to appear in a single NFL game since going undrafted in 2022. Whatever they decide, it will likely just be a bandage to patch things up until Likely can return.