Ravens TE Charlie Kolar should get his first taste of NFL action soon
By Kristen Wong
Baltimore Ravens rookie tight end Charlie Kolar could make an impact as soon as Week 11 after being activated off injured reserve.
The 2022 fourth-round pick underwent hernia surgery this past offseason, and three months later, he’s set to rejoin the fold along with several other previously injured players.
The list of players that the Ravens will get back after the bye is longer than that of most teams and includes Gus Edwards, Mark Andrews, and fellow rookie David Ojabo.
Kolar has been recovering well after surgery and could still be considered a developmental product at his position — he’ll certainly face competition from Isaiah Likely, who has grown into a viable TE1 plug-in with Andrews out.
Both Kolar and Likely pose as two capable pass-catching tight ends with the former recording 23 career touchdown catches at Iowa State.
Ravens’ tight end room will get more crowded after the bye week
Head coach John Harbaugh spoke briefly about Kolar’s development in 2022:
"“He’s looked really good. He’s a young player, and he missed a lot of time during training camp, so he’s still developing, but he’s out there [and] he looks good. He’s so talented, he’s so big, he has great hands. He wants to do well…. He had three good weeks of practice, so I anticipate him being brought up this week; I can’t speak for [executive vice president and general manager] Eric [DeCosta] on that, but that’s how we’re talking right now.”"
Baltimore made a risky decision when they drafted two tight ends and opted against taking a wide receiver in April, yet at least one of their tight ends — Isaiah Likely — has arguably been meeting expectations.
Kolar and Andrews have been compared numerous times for their similar size and contested catch ability, and with Andrews not being 100 percent healthy, Kolar could get his first taste of NFL action sooner rather than later.
Next. 3 Ravens practice squad players who could be important after the bye week. dark
First off, he’ll need to recover to full health. Keep an eye on Charlie Kolar’s progress in the coming weeks.