The 10 best tight ends in the history of the Baltimore Ravens

The Baltimore Ravens have been a team that historically focuses on a strong running game and suffocating defense, but that philosophy has done a disservice to the many promising skill position players who have suited up for some of the best teams in NFL history in purple and black.

The tight end spot has been more fruitful for Baltimore than most teams in the last few decades. While the names have come and gone, coaches like Brian Billick and John Harbaugh seem very capable of identifying talent at this position and getting the most out of them with the Ravens.

These 10 players have made a name for themselves across the annals of Ravens history, becoming the best the tight end position has to offer. The top of this list consists of a Hall of Fame player and another who could come close to that exalted level if he keeps his play up.

Criteria for selection

These tight ends were chosen based on a combination of:

• Statistical Achievements
• Impact on Success
• Longevity
• Memorable Moments

The top 10 tight ends in Baltimore Ravens history

10. Daniel Wilcox

Wilcox, who had won a championship buried far down the depth chart on Jon Gruden's Buccaneers, ended up playing five seasons in Baltimore, often serving as a complement to a player who will rank higher on this list. By the end of his time with the Ravens, Wilcox put together solid numbers for the role he had.

Wilcox, who was burdened by poor quarterback play with the Ravens, caught 76 passes for 576 yards and eight touchdowns in his career. Players like Crockett Gilmore and Maxx Williams just missed out on inclusion in the Top 10, as they lacked the longevity in Baltimore that an unheralded role player like Wilcox had.

9. Brian Kinchen

Kinchen would have been much higher on this list if the Browns' franchise history transferred over after their departure from Cleveland, as he was at his best during the last few years of Bill Belichick's reign and the inaugural season of the Ravens in Baltimore. Kinchen was a wily veteran who played for three seasons with the Ravens.

Kinchen's first season was the best he had in a career that spanned three decades, as he caught 55 passes for 581 yards from Vinny Testaverde. Another tight end who was higher on this list eventually bumped him out of the starting lineup, which limited him to 24 catches over his final two seasons.

Kinchen ultimately ended his career with 13 seasons, split primarily between the Ravens, Browns, and Dolphins, under his belt. His prime was in the mid-1990s, and he put together a quality campaign for a Ravens team that was trying to show the NFL world that Baltimore was capable of building an attractive franchise.

8. Isaiah Likely

Likely came into the league guaranteed next to nothing. Not only was he going to backup Mark Andrews, but the selection of Charlie Kolar just a few picks beforehand gave the Ravens a competition between two rookies. After two years, Likely has proven to be the clearly superior player and a key member of Baltimore's offense.

In his first two seasons in Baltimore, Likely caught 66 passes for 784 yards and eight touchdowns, using his smooth athletic ability to become a high-end receiver when Andrews was unavailable. In the last six games of 2023, when Andrews was hurt, Likely put up numbers that put him on pace for 192 yards and 14 touchdowns in a 17-game season.

Likely is currently limited by his role as a backup, but he's proven his talent as a pass-catcher multiple times over in his short career. The former Coastal Carolina Chanticleer should end up breaking into the top five in these rankings relatively soon, especially with how many times Baltimore uses two tight ends.

7. Eric Green

Green got his start as a first-round pick of the Pittsburgh Steelers, making two Pro Bowls before a one-year pit-stop in Miami and his arrival in Baltimore. Green recorded over 4,300 yards receiving in his career, 1,100 or so of which came during the first three years of the Ravens' existence.

While Green was limited to six games in 1996 (which let Kinchen break out), Green would end up with 601 yards and five touchdowns in 1997. There are only a few players in NFL history who can claim to have fond memories as both a Steeler and Raven, and Green's stint as the top tight end during Vinny Testaverde's tenure put him in that club.

6. Ed Dickson

Fans may remember Dickson from his collegiate days at Oregon, as he was integral to their high-octane offenses. A third-round pick, Dickson teamed with Dennis Pitta to form one of the better tight end duos in the league. Dickson started 44 games for the Ravens in four years, catching 54 passes for 528 yards in 2011.

While Dickson spent nine seasons in the pros, split almost between Baltimore and Carolina, his Ravens days brought him both a championship and more statistical prowess. The market for great TE2 is starting to thin around the league, but Dickson excelled in just about every area he was asked to.

5. Nick Boyle

Boyle was a career-long Raven who spent a whopping eight seasons in Baltimore. While his production as a receiver never reached elite levels, his ability to open up holes as a blocker and catch a few timely passes from Joe Flacco and Lamar Jackson are all part of why Baltimore kept bringing him back.

Boyle amassed 121 catches for 1,049 yards with the Ravens, but those numbers would have been much higher if he hadn't suffered a serious knee injury in 2020. Still, his hard-nosed style was fun to watch for some.

Boyle was even trying to make a go of it at long snapper. You have to respect someone with his motor and desire to grind out success.

4. Dennis Pitta

Injuries are a killer, as Pitta only played in eight games between the 2013 and 2015 seasons. It's a shame that such a promising career had to take a downward turn, as any Ravens fan who saw Pitta in his prime can fully attest to the fact that he was on track to be a first-rate player at his position.

Picked in the fourth round alongside Dixon, Pitta became the top tight end and No. 3 pass catcher on a Super Bowl-winning Ravens team. In his career, Pitta caught 224 passes for 2,908 yards and 13 touchdowns, often using his superior speed for the position to become a matchup nightmare.

Recording 86 catches for 729 yards in his final season with the Ravens after all the hip injuries took their toll shows what a talented receiver Pitta was at his best. While his time with the Ravens was short, the Ravens were able to eventually draft a solid replacement who overtook him.

3. Shannon Sharpe

Sharpe was only in Baltimore for two seasons of his Hall of Fame career, but his impact was noticeable. On a fairly average Ravens offense, Sharpe was the big-play threat who was the go-to target when Baltimore had to have it. Sharpe was able to slip one of his three championship rings on his finger with the Ravens.

Sharpe led the Ravens in catches (67), yards (810), and touchdowns (five) during the 2000 Super Bowl season. Sharpe had big catches of 56 and 96 yards in playoff wins against the Titans and Raiders, respectively. Even in his age-32 season, Sharpe was as good as it got at the tight end position.

Sharpe will always be a Bronco above all else, but the mutual admiration the fanbase and Shannon have with one another is encouraging to see. Carrying a Trent Dilfer-led passing game to a Super Bowl is not a task for the faint of heart, and one of the greatest leaders at the tight end spot this game has ever seen was up to the task.

2. Todd Heap

Drafted in the first round after the Ravens won the Super Bowl, Heap was viewed as the long-term successor to Sharpe. With the best mentor anyone could hope for setting him up for success, the former Arizona State star has carved out a great career that puts him among the best pass-catchers in Ravens history.

No man in history has caught more touchdown passes for the Ravens than Heap, who retired with 41 scores. He was just four catches and 85 yards shy of overtaking Derrick Mason atop the Ravens' all-time leaderboard in both of those categories as well. Imagine what Heap could have done with even average quarterback play.

Heap was a Pro Bowler in 2002 and 2003, both of which came instantly after Sharpe returned to Denver. A Super Bowl ring may have made the extremely well-rounded Heap a more recognizable name, as he just missed Joe Flacco's rise to prominence and joined the Cardinals after the Kurt Warner hype died down.

1. Mark Andrews

Andrews was regarded as a dominant college player at Oklahoma, but he managed to fall to the third round due to some believing he would never develop the blocking skills needed to become a starter in the NFL. A few years later, Andrews has become the primary pass-catching weapon for an MVP in Lamar Jackson.

Andrews entered 2024 just a few hundred yards and one touchdown shy of equalling Heap's marks. It stands to reason he will smash those old records and become the most prolific pass-catcher who ever put on a Ravens jersey. Not bad for a third-rounder who many believed wouldn't become a starter at the NFL level.

Andrews has made three Pro Bowls and been named to an All-Pro team in his tenure with the Ravens. His 1,361 receiving yards in 2021 are the third-best mark in NFL history for a tight end, trailing only George Kittle's 2018 and Travis Kelce's 2020. At his best, Andrews is simply an elite playmaker.

While it may have seemed like sacrilege to compare Andrews to Heap a short while ago, the numbers are almost identical. The Ravens' pass-catching history is fairly grim, but the standout play of Andrews (in tandem with Lamar Jackson) could lead to many of Heap's records being rewritten.

The 3 best tight ends in Ravens history by receiving yards