The Baltimore Ravens love to use multiple tight-end sets in their offense. With Hayden Hurst traded to the Atlanta Falcons this season, that opens up a coveted third spot on the tight end depth chart to competition. And with a handful of players vying for the job, it’s going to be a pretty interesting battle before rosters are trimmed down to 53 players on Sept. 5.
Mark Andrews, the top tight end on Baltimore’s roster, is excited for what he sees.
“The tight end room is definitely going to be a battle, and those guys are working hard,” said Andrews. “But there’s a lot of talent in our room right now.”
Both Andrews and Nick Boyle are locks to make the team. Andrews had a breakout season as a receiver in 2019 but is set up to further explode in his third year. Boyle is one of the best blocking tight ends in the NFL and an underrated receiving threat too. That means the remaining group of Charles Scarff, Jerell Adams, and Eli Wolf are fighting for what is likely just one spot on the roster.
Many have given Wolf the best chance of making the team this year, especially after Jacob Breeland’s knee injury hadn’t recovered enough, pushing him to the reserve list. Though we should take it with a grain of salt, Wolf ran a ridiculously fast 40-yard dash of 4.43 seconds. That type of speed from a 6-foot-4 and 238-pound guy is an exciting proposition. Andrews has liked what he’s seen so far, specifically noting how quickly Wolf has picked up the playbook and his athleticism.
“Eli [Wolf], first of all, he’s done a great job of coming here and learning the system,” Andrews said. “He moves incredibly well, and I’m super excited to play with him some more and get on the field with him. But, he looks really good. I’m excited about that.”
Just because there are a few new faces this offseason, Scarff shouldn’t be discounted. He’s the player with the most time in the system, having been on Baltimore’s practice squad last season. That experience and the coaching staff’s familiarity with him could be the edge in an abbreviated offseason.
“Charles [Scarff] has been here for a year and knows the system extremely well,” Andrews continued. “Great blocker, has really good feet and he’s, honestly, pretty crafty with running routes.”
The newest member of the team is Adams, who was signed as a free agent last week following the team cutting Breelandto move him to the reserve list. Adams enters his fifth year in the NFL, something Andrews said was positive in this competition.
“Just being able to see him run routes and to see him move around,” Andrews continued. “He’s a guy that’s been in the league for a while and knows some things. So, he’s a good addition to the room.”
That’s a lot of praise coming from a Pro Bowl player. And it’s something coach John Harbaugh and his staff will need to sort through in short order at training camp. But having too many solid players fighting for a third tight end spot is a pretty good problem to have.
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