HEADLINES

Isaiah Likely

Ravens GM Expects Mark Andrews “To Be On This Team”

April 26th, 2025 at 9:32am CST by Ben Levine

With Mark Andrews being the subject of trade rumors this offseason, the draft appeared to be a key moment in determining the tight end’s future in Baltimore. Through the first two days of the draft, Andrews remains with the Ravens, and GM Eric DeCosta acknowledged that it’s probably going to remain that way.

[RELATED: TE Mark Andrews Expects To Remain With Ravens]

“At this point, I would really expect Mark to be on this team,” DeCosta told reporters last night (via ESPN’s Jamison Hensley). “Great player, love him, competitive, tough playmaker. I would expect him to be on the team.”

Andrews has established himself as a franchise legend in Baltimore, as the tight end holds the franchise record for touchdowns (rushing or receiving) and ranks second in franchise history in receiving yards. However, a divorce wouldn’t be completely unfounded.

Beyond Andrews’ continued playoff failures (which culminated in a recent playoff loss to the Bills that saw the tight end fumble the ball on a crucial drive and drop a game-tying two-point conversion), there are also financial incentives for moving on from the tight end. Andrews is entering the final season of a four-year, $56MM extension, and he’s due to carry a lofty cap charge of $16.91MM in 2025. A trade would provide the organization with $11MM in cap savings.

While Andrews wouldn’t command nearly as large of a contract next offseason, there was a belief that the Ravens could look to squeeze value out of the asset, especially if they already intended to move on in 2026. Plus, with Isaiah Likely entering the final season of his rookie contract, the Ravens may be in a position to pick between the two. If a suitor was willing to pony up for Andrews, the team could simply move forward with Likely.

Andrews hasn’t come close to matching his 1,300-yard campaign from 2021, and he finished last season with only 39.6 yards per game, his lowest average since his rookie year. On the flip side, he found the end zone 11 times (a career high), and a recent report indicated that the team is cognizant that losing Andrews would still hurt their 2025 roster.

For what it’s worth, Andrews recently expressed optimism that he’d remain in Baltimore for at least the 2025 season. Head coach John Harbaugh has also expressed an expectation that his long-time player will remain with the squad. DeCosta was the last to weigh in, and the GM’s comments seem to confirm that Andrews will spend at least one more year with the Ravens.

Ravens Eyeing Increased Role For TE Isaiah Likely

June 24th, 2024 at 4:50pm CST by Adam La Rose

Mark Andrews missed significant time in 2023, and his absence left the Ravens without their top tight end option. It also opened the door to increased playing time for Isaiah Likely, however, and he showed considerable potential.

In total, Likely racked up 411 yards and five touchdowns on 30 catches in 2023, his second year in the league. Much of that production came when Andrews was sidelined, but Baltimore’s offense could look to include both on the field moving forward. That has been showcased by the many roles Likely has seen time in this spring.

The 24-year-old indicated (via Ryan Mink of the team’s website) he has taken snaps in several spots on offense this offseason. Doing so will allow offensive coordinator Todd Monken to find ways to have both Andrews and Likely on the field together. Baltimore rarely used two tight end sets in 2023, but putting the latter in a variety of spots could change that this season.

“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 of the experiments with his positioning. “The more you know, the more you can stay on the field.”

Likely showed his pass-catching potential as a rookie, and his success when thrust into a starting role in Year 2 will lead to high expectations. The Coastal Carolina product is not known for his run blocking, so giving him looks not only in the slot but on the perimeter would be sensible. Baltimore’s receiving core is led by Zay Flowers, Rashod Bateman, Nelson Agholor and fourth-round rookie Devontez Walker. Running back addition Derrick Henry does not have a track record of notable production in the passing game, and that should not be expected to change in 2024.

Of course, Henry (along with quarterback Lamar Jackson) being in the fold means the Ravens will remain a run-heavy offense moving forward. Likely’s play to date has garnered interest in a increased workload, though, and it will be interesting to see how that plays out during training camp this summer. Two years remain on his rookie contract, so a strong campaign in 2024 could set him up for an extension.

Ravens Notes: Biegel, Linderbaum, Ojabo, Roster Bubble

August 4th, 2022 at 7:10pm CST by Ben Levine

Vince Biegel‘s season has ended before it even started. The Ravens linebacker suffered a torn Achilles on Thursday and will miss the 2022 season, per the team’s website.

The linebacker has bounced around the NFL during his four years in the league, spending time with the Packers, Saints, and Dolphins. Following a 2020 season where he compiled 59 tackles and 2.5 sacks in a career-high 15 games (10 starts) with the Dolphins, he was limited to only two tackles in five contests with Miami in 2021. He caught on with the Ravens this offseason, and according to Ryan Mink of the team website, Biegel had made a strong impression during the first few days of camp.

“Vince was fighting to make the team,” coach John Harbaugh said. “He would have had a great chance to make it, because he’s just a solid, tough, talented guy who does everything exactly right as hard as he can.”

The Ravens were already eyeing a depleted linebackers depth chart with Tyus Bowser and David Ojabo sidelined. The team’s current options consist of Odafe Oweh, Justin Houston, Daelin Hayes, Steven Means, and a handful of rookies.

More notes out of Baltimore:

  • Fortunately, there was some good news on the Ravens’ injury front. While first-round rookie center Tyler Linderbaum limped off the field during practice, an X-ray confirmed he avoided a major injury. “He’s going to be fine,” Harbaugh said (via Mink). “Didn’t get stepped on, kind of just … It’s a physical drill there, and [he] came up a little sore. They’ve looked at it, X-rayed it. They’ll do an MRI on it to make sure, but all indications are it’s nothing serious at all.” Beside the rookie, the Ravens have veteran Patrick Mekari to step in at center.
  • We previously heard that Ojabo’s brief holdout was an attempt to get more guaranteed money in the third year of his rookie contract. According to ESPN’s Field Yates (on Twitter), the rookie ended up getting $700K of that 2024 base salary guaranteed. As our own Ely Allen previously pointed out, the player selected just before Ojabo at 44th overall is John Metchie III, who received $800,000 (55.61%) of his third year guaranteed. The pick immediately after Ojabo at 46th overall is Joshua Paschal, whose guaranteed third-year money dropped dramatically to $275,000 (22.02%).
  • Guard Ben Powers could find himself on the trade block depending on the status of Ben Cleveland and Tyre Phillips, writes Jeff Zrebiec of The Athletic. Powers has 19 career starts, so he’d surely appeal to a squad seeking some guard depth. Meanwhile, Zrebiec writes that running back Mike Davis could be fighting with Tyler Badie and Justice Hill for two open roster spots. The veteran was brought in this offseason to provide some depth while J.K. Dobbins and Gus Edwards return to full health, but he may not be needed if the duo is ready for the start of the season.
  • In a stock report of Baltimore’s minicamp, Zrebiec provides a handful of interesting tidbits related to the Ravens. Fourth-round rookie Isaiah Likely will find himself behind Mark Andrews on the depth chart, but he also “seems close to certain to have a notable Week 1 role with the Ravens.” Meanwhile, versatile defensive back Brandon Stephens has been preparing to play cornerback after starting 11 games at safety last season.
  • The Ravens’ other fourth-round rookie tight end, Charlie Kolar, had sports hernia surgery earlier this week, per Zrebiec. “It’s a thing that was lingering from college,” Harbaugh said. “He actually had a sports hernia from college, had a surgery. They’re going to redo that one as well. We’ll get it cleaned up now. I think he felt like he could manage it, but it’s gotten to the point where it needs to be fixed.”