The Baltimore Ravens offense is loaded with talented players like Lamar Jackson, Derrick Henry, Zay Flowers, and Mark Andrews.
Yet, one Ravens player entering his fourth year could be on the verge of a breakout season in 2025.
Isaiah Likely Could Finally Usurp Mark Andrews in the Ravens TE Pecking Order in 2025
Ravens TE Isaiah Likely looked like his breakout season was going to come in 2024 when he started the year with nine receptions for 111 yards and a score against the defending Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs to start his third year in the NFL.
Unfortunately, that would be Likely’s best game of the 2024 season by wide margin.
Still, the Coastal Carolina product finished his third year in the league with 42 receptions for 477 yards and six scores, which was enough to convince many NFL pundits that a breakout year is on the horizon in the near future for Likely.
ESPN NFL Analyst Field Yates spoke to Likely’s intriguing upside in the near future during a recent appearance on NFL Live by saying, “I think thereâs a chance that weâre talking about Isaiah Likely is one of the eight or 10 best tight ends in football in the next couple of years. Heâs got all the talent in the world, but the Ravens donât throw the football as much as other offenses do. And of course, Mark Andrews is still there.”
The talent has flashed on numerous occasions working behind Mark Andrews in a run heavy offense throughout Likely’s career. He has hit 70+ yards in a game on six occasions over his three years in the league, which is pretty impressive for a backup tight end.
Yates added, “I think at some point we see that segue [from Andrews] and Isaiah Likely becomes a part of an offense that defensive coordinators begin the week and they say, we have to find a way to slow down Derrick Henry and Lamar Jackson. But Isaiah Likely is not that far down the pecking order of responsibilities.â
Speaking of the Likely’s role as a backup, Yates may be onto something with a potential changing of the guard in the TE room sooner rather than later.
Through the first four games of the 2024 season, Likely had more targets, receptions, yards, and touchdowns than his TE counterpart.
Additionally, the snap count totals were very close last year. One could certainly make a case that the gap between the two players has essentially closed, which means the younger and more athletic prospect could realistically overtake the veteran this year.
Could Likely Make This Offense Even Better in 2025?
Here is a question that is rather wild to even ask… Would the Ravens offense actually be better if Likely was the leading option at the TE position in 2025?
That is a bit trickier to definitively say, but it certainly is one that feels valid.
Likely was a far better YAC threat than Andrews last year with 6.1 yards after catch per reception to Andrews’ 3.4 — which speaks to Likely’s better athletic profile.
They have both performed well as run blockers, which feels like a stalemate.
The Ravens feel like a better team with both tight ends on the roster in 2025, but the Likely breakout season is almost here. It is just a matter of whether or not his big jump in production comes now or a little bit further down the road.
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