Despite the Baltimore Ravens win over the Houston Texans, there were things to clean up. The Ravens will be relying on some depth to come up clutch due to injuries, but they also need some of their starters and other options to step up after struggling in week one.
Which players on the Baltimore Ravens were the most disappointing after one week of football?
3. The right side of the Baltimore Ravens offensive line is a concern
The Baltimore Ravens offensive line went from a strength to a weakness very quickly. It is already concerning that they plan to have a backup left tackle and center when the team takes the field for week two. They also did not see good things from the entire right side of their line. Morgan Moses was up and down. He did good things in the run game, but he also had multiple penalties and allowed a sack to Jonathan Greenard.
However, Kevin Zeitler was even worse. He struggled mightily in this game. Even players like Kurt Hinish were having success against Zeitler. He was the lowest-graded pass blocker on the Ravens offensive line. Zeitler looked much worse in the run game than Moses, as well. The Ravens cannot afford to have this. They need the right side to be clean because the rest of the line is going to be shuffling over the coming weeks. Both Zeitler and Moses missed the preseason, but both are aging. Was it rust, or are these two getting ready for the best of their play to be in the past? We will find out in the coming weeks.
2. The Baltimore Ravens draft class is not providing much outside of Zay Flowers
The Baltimore Ravens 2023 draft class may be fun to think about in a few years. There is a good chance that the class ends up as Flowers and a bunch of question marks or bad picks. So far, that is the case anyway. So, if the class is just Flowers, it was still a good class, right?
Trenton Simpson did not see the field on defense. He has yet to pass up Del'Shawn Phillips, let alone compete with Patrick Queen. Tavius Robinson is losing edge snaps to Malik Harrison, who is ahead of both of the rookie defenders.
Sala Aumavae-Laulu was a healthy scratch after being a major problem in the preseason. He went from competing to start to not being trusted on the field at all a little too quickly. Even the Ravens UDFAs who made the roster, Keaton Mitchell and Malik Hamm, are now on the injured reserve, along with Andrew Vorhees.
The Ravens did not have high draft capital, so in year one, and especially week one, impacts were not going to be expected. Still, it is tough to see just how low a lot of these options are on the depth chart right now. This is not shaping up to be a class with plenty of names emerging as rookies.
1. Isaiah Likely could not replace Mark Andrews for the Baltimore Ravens
One interesting question was how Isaiah Likely would look without Mark Andrews. When Andrews got injured against the Buccaneers last year, Likely came up huge with 77 yards. However, when he had to start the following week, he had just 24 yards. It was one of the worst games of his career.
This week, he had another poor result. Likely had just four yards, a short catch in the first quarter. From there, he was non-existent. Likely also was the worst-graded player on the Ravens' offense. We are starting to learn more about Likely, who has just 28 yards in two combined starts when you exclude a meaningless week 18 start.
He is a good player, and as a complementary option, he can be involved in the offense. However, when he is asked to start, he is not ready for that attention. Likely is best when the attention is not on him, and he can slip through the cracks and make plays. When it shifts to him, he is not ready for it. This is notable because the team is realizing just how valued Mark Andrews is. Likely is a nice piece, but he is not close to replacing what Andrews can bring. He is a player that they cannot lose, and Likely is a player who may not be nearly as involved this year if the Ravens' pass catchers can stay healthy.