Baltimore Ravens’ Isaiah Likely Primed To Make Key Rookie Impact

While Lamar Jackson’s long-term future remains in question, the Baltimore Ravens’ immediate focus on the field will be on ensuring he is in the best position possible to guide them back to the postseason.

The contract impasse between Jackson and the Ravens shows no sign of coming to end and, should it continue into the 2022 regular season, the surrounding talent at his disposal may help him command an even more lucrative contract from Baltimore.

Receiver depth is an issue for the Ravens, who will be heavily reliant on an expected breakout season from last year’s first-round pick Rashod Bateman.

However, the Ravens have long since leaned on the tight end position more than their counterparts. Last season, the Ravens led the NFL in using 22 personnel (two wide receivers and two tight ends), doing so on 14 percent of their offensive snaps, according to Sharp Football Stats.

Back in 2019 when Jackson and the Ravens’ offense took the league by storm, they used 22 personnel on 15 percent of snaps. They dropped back to pass on just 39 of their 175 plays out of 22, but those passing plays produced a passer rating of 107.6.

The Ravens’ offense excels when running two tight end sets and Jackson will have a pair of tight ends with significant passing game upside to target as Baltimore looks to contend after injuries derailed their 2021 campaign.

Mark Andrews has established himself as one of the premier tight ends in the NFL, earning first-team All-Pro honors in 2021 after racking up 1,361 yards and nine touchdowns, and he looks set to regularly share the field with rookie Isaiah Likely, a fourth-round pick out of Coastal Carolina who has shone in training camp and during the preseason.

After catching four passes for 44 yards in his preseason debut against the Tennessee Titans, Likely exploded for eight receptions, 100 yards and a touchdown in a win over the Arizona Cardinals.

Jeff Zrebiec of The Athletic wrote that Likely will have a “significant role” in the Ravens’ offense having proven he is ready to play a prominent part in Baltimore’s passing attack.

With Andrews the top pass-catcher in the offense and Bateman almost certain to consume a large share of the targets, Likely might not be in a spot to put up huge numbers on a consistent basis as a rookie.

However, for Jackson and for a Ravens’ offense that has previously performed at its best when using two-tight end sets, Likely’s presence as a potential third option in the passing game could take Baltimore’s threat from such personnel groupings to another level.

Jackson’s ability as a runner is what makes the Baltimore offense so difficult to defend. But the Ravens cannot rely too heavily on Jackson’s Houdini acts in the open field and, if they are back among the AFC elite come the end of the season, it may well be in part down to Likely’s success in quickly adapting to the pros.