Ravens Rookie TEs Breakout (And Blackout) In Good Way In Preseason Debut

The Ravens needed something to shake loose for their young tight ends Saturday night.

You could hear it in the way the coaches spoke in reserved tones about them after practices, and you could hear it in the way the rookies talked, candidly, about their adjustment to the NFL heading into this preseason opener.

Of all the position groups on the roster, tight end was under a unique magnifying glass, with veteran Mark Andrews slowing down considerably in recent years and battling drops and fumbles and injuries. Young, talented tight ends Isaiah Likely and Charlie Kolar departed in free agency. And two late-round draft selections were thrust into a situation of immediate-need, especially if rookie offensive coordinator Declan Doyle, 30, is going to be able to utilize as much heavy personnel as he might like.

Something kind of had to happen early in Saturday night’s exhibition debut at M&T Bank Stadium for Matthew Hibner (133rd overall) and Josh Cuevas (173rd overall) and Doyle knew it. He dialed up a nice downfield opportunity for Hibner very early in the game, while veteran quarterback Snoop Huntley was still playing, and made sure they got opportunities in space. The position group thrived in the pass-catching department and were a part of a very smooth operation at the line of scrimmage devoid of procedural mistakes and pre-snap penalties in a 24-7 smashing of the Eagles.

It all went better than anyone could have really hoped for, and the rookie tight ends (undrafted free agents Lucas Scott and Ty Pezza also caught balls) combined to catch all nine of their targets for 101 yards, pretty remarkable given how their camp has gone. Hibner led the way with five grabs for 61 yards and his 29-yard run and catch was Baltimore’s only pass play over 20 yards.

Hibner, like most recent college products, spent most of his reps in shotgun formations, and got looks on some under center play action passes - something Doyle is going to lean into mightily with the Sean Payton influence heavy in this offense - another area where this group must adapt with footwork and precision.

“It was just an unbelievable experience being out there for the first time,” Hibner told the media after the game. “Trying to make the most of it … The coaching staff put me in a great position and just making the most of every opportunity coming down with those catches, it was a great feeling.”

Rookies Took Over

The Ravens need this rookie class to provide immediate pass-catching prowess, and the wide receivers also shined with Ja’Kobi Lane again the headliner with a touchdown reception and looking smooth and comfortable in every situation as he has throughout camp. It’s not just how he looks, but the way he speaks about this initial success that makes the coaching staff continue to trust him.

“Honestly, his demeanor,‘’ head coach Jesse Minter said of what impresses him most about Lane after the game. And fourth-round pick Elijah Sarratt, a Baltimore native, led the team with six receptions and he made contested grabs and showed up in high traffic areas.

But this team is desperate for explosion on offense, and someone other than Zay Flowers providing it. And if it could come out of a big bodied tight end, providing some deception as Jokers along the way, all the better. It was clear Doyle wanted to build some much-needed confidence within this group.

Doyle wants to be able to win out of 12 and 13 personnel with multiple tight ends on the field (it was a staple in the offense in Chicago where he was an assistant coach last year) because of their versatility. But Hibner and Cuevas were pretty upfront about their struggles to adapt to all that’s being asked of them. Hibner said he felt like he was “drinking out of a firehose” this week and Cuevas said “it can get pretty overwhelming” and tight end coach Zack Grossi noted, “they’ve got a long way to go.”

They hadn’t flashed of sizzled like the young receivers even in individual drills, Andrews had a lethargic start himself, and Durham Smythe was signed to block and not catch footballs. If things were getting a little tight in that room, no one could be shocked, and this felt like a bit of a exhale from them collectively (Andrews and Smythe did not dress and Minter is not going to play veterans much at all in the exhibitions).

So getting Hibner, who is from Virginia with his family and high school coach and staff in attendance, isolated to utilize his straight line speed and not have to block and storm downfield for 29 yards right away was kind of a big deal. It seemed very much by design.

“I kind of blacked out after the catch,” Hibner said. “I probably spent a little too much energy celebrating and getting hyped, but it was great. I have no regrets celebrating that one.”

How much of this translates to the regular season remains to be seen, and getting this unit fortified in the trenches against proven NFL linemen and linebackers and pass rushers is a different task entirely (the Eagles pretty much rested all their key veterans too). The Ravens will practice with the Vikings this week in preparation for the second preseason game, which will provide tough work through the week.

This absolutely constituted progress, Saturday, regardless. The offensive line more than held up, undrafted rookie quarterback Joe Fagnano (UCONN) was stellar and the tight ends literally caught everything that was thrown their way.

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