Ravens Rule Out Key Offensive Weapons vs. Bills

When the Baltimore Ravens offense takes the field on Sunday Night Football to take on the Buffalo Bills' defense in the regular season opener, they won't have two players who have been integral to their success over the past three-plus years. Both five-time Pro Bowl fullback Patrick Ricard and fourth-year tight end Isaiah Likely were officially ruled out of the Week 1 matchup on Friday.

Game status at Bills pic.twitter.com/ejn2wMBSfX
— Baltimore Ravens (@Ravens) September 5, 2025

The unfortunate designations don't come as a surprise, as neither player has practiced in several weeks. Ricard is dealing with a lingering calf strain, while Likely continues to recover from a foot surgery that caused him to sit out the vast majority of training camp. Their absences will almost certainly result in the evaluation of one or both of undrafted rookie fullback Lucas Scott and fourth-year tight end Zaire Mitchell-Paden from the practice squad for this game.

This will also lead to a large uptick in snaps for fourth-year tight end Charlie Kolar, who has primarily been utilized as a blocker over the past two years but has a strong pass catching prowess in his background dating back to his time in college at Iowa State. He will be on the field early and often alongside and at the same time as three-time Pro Bowler Mark Andrews, who said Kolar "had one of the best camps I've really ever seen by a player."

"A total stud," Andrews said Wednesday. "He's been balling out, taking a big workload. He's just continued to make big strides. He's doing incredible in the blocking game, but he's running great routes, and he's looking really fluid. So, I'm excited about him. He's going to have a big year."

It wasn't all bad news for the Ravens on the injury front as starting right guard Daniel Faalele and two-time Pro Bowl cornerback Jaire Alexander were removed from the final injury report and weren't given designations for the game. Both players began the week as limited in practice on Wednesday before being upgraded to full participants on Thursday and Friday.

Faalele was battling an illness while Alexander made his return to the practice field for the first time in nearly a month. The eighth-year veteran has been managing a knee he had surgery on last season with the Green Bay Packers, and can't wait to make his Ravens debut.

"Nah, no nerves, man. Just excitement and extreme gratitude," Alexander said via the team website. "It's always a blessing to be on the field. That's my happy place."

As for the Ravens' opponent for the season opener, the Bills placed starting kicker Tyler Bass on injured reserve due to hip and groin injuries, which will put him out of commission until Week 5. In his absence, they will be turning to former two-time Pro Bowl veteran Matt Prater, who signed to their practice squad earlier in the week.

Buffalo is also banged up in the secondary with first-round cornerback Maxwell Hairston already on IR to open the season. Former Raven Tre'Davious White is listed as doubtful to play after having not practiced all week with a groin. Meanwhile, fellow starter Christian Benford wasn't listed on the final injury report, but he was limited earlier in the week with a groin injury.

Given the injuries at key spots for both teams, it wouldn't be surprising to see the Ravens opt to air the ball out more against the Bills' suspect coverage unit with two integral pieces of their quarterback and power run game unavailable.

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