After losing Isaiah Likely and Charlie Kolar in free agency, the Baltimore Ravens' second tight end alongside Mark Andrews became a key storyline of the offseason. With Andrews aging and the NFL leaning into more two-tight-end sets, this need was particularly consequential.
Though the Ravens signed Durham Smythe, Eric DeCosta opted to largely fill this void in the draft by selecting Matthew Hibner in the fourth-round and Josh Cuevas in the fifth-round.
As such, the TE2 battle is between the two rookies. And frankly, this battle has been a roller coaster ride throughout offseason. The Ravens' tight end position was described as a weakness at training camp.
Thankfully, Hibner silenced some of these concerns in Week 1 of preseason, racking up 65 yards. After this performance, Hibner seemed to have a clear leg up over Cuevas, who recorded just 11 yards. Yet in Week 2's win over the Minnesota Vikings, it was the opposite story: Cuevas recorded 46 yards on three receptions, while Hibner didn't catch either of his two targets.
Now, the Ravens' TE2 battle is as up in the air as ever. While both tight ends have flashed upside, neither has shown enough consistency to separate themselves. Thus, this battle might go down to the wire.
The Baltimore Ravens' TE battle took another turn after Saturday's game
Make no mistake, it's an extremely promising sign that both Hibner and Cuevas have flashed their upside in the preseason. For a while, it was looking like the Ravens' tight end room could be a major problem, but now it looks like at least one of these rookies can be a contributor. That's a win.
The question is, though: Who can separate themselves and earn a sizable role in the offense before Week 1?
With Declan Doyle's affinity for two-tight-end sets, there's a path where both players have a role in the offense at points throughout the year. Nevertheless, one of them has to get a bigger role in the offense, especially early on, and at this point, it's not an easy call who that should be.
Hibner's case centers more around his athleticism, which could give Ravens fans some Likely flashbacks. Furthermore, Hibner is an ideal fit in Doyle's offense that puts explosive plays at a premium.
Still, Cuevas is a bit more versatile, and he flashed some big-play potential against the Vikings. If he can follow this up with another strong preseason showing in Baltimore's final game against the Washington Commanders on Friday, Cuevas could firmly be in the driver's seat.
Regardless, Saturday's game added another layer of complexity to the TE2 battle, and the Ravens have a tough decision ahead of them.
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