1. The Ravens must figure out their offensive identity
Could we see a renaissance of Lamar Jackson’s 2019 MVP year?
The Ravens picked two tight ends in the NFL Draft, which apparently was never the plan. Now that they have them both, though, what is Greg Roman planning to do?
In 2022, Baltimore’s tight end room is as stacked as they come with TE1 in Mark Andrews and a solid blocker in Nick Boyle. Rookies Charlie Kolar and Isaiah Likely round out the unit with Josh Oliver probably losing out on a roster spot.
The most likely scenario is that the Ravens will play with multiple-tight end sets in which Kolar and Likely can create matchup problems for opposing defenses and Andrews may get more open looks.
Given that Kolar and Likely are athletic enough to split out wide if needed, the Ravens theoretically have all the pass-catching weapons they need to support Lamar Jackson and build a dynamic offensive unit.
The return of “13” personnel and why The @Ravens will be better than “just fine” #nfllive pic.twitter.com/6f3DsQh9IB
— Dan Orlovsky (@danorlovsky7) May 3, 2022
Going down the 3-tight end route isn’t necessarily a one-way street, but it’s something the Ravens should figure out earlier rather than later.
Likely and Kolar are decent pass-catchers and offer plenty of upside, but their chemistry and consistency have yet to be tested. As much as the Ravens love their tight ends, the team needs to decide what offensive scheme works best for them and for Jackson, and that will involve tactical tinkering all throughout the preseason.
As always, the Ravens will continue being a run-heavy team with Jackson at the helm, so this is less about uprooting the entire system than it is about smoothing out the creases.