I will be interested to see what the Ravens do with Isaiah Likely. They have Mark Andrews, who’s one of the top few tight ends in the game. But Likely was sure impressive last year while filling in.
Likely’s per-play effectiveness was about as impressive as you’ll see. They threw 40 passes in his direction, and they’ve generated 30 catches, 411 yards and 5 TDs. They didn’t miss Andrews all that much when he was sidelined at the end of the season.
On a per-play basis, Likely averaged 10.3 yards per target. Since the league moved to 32 teams (in 2022) only 20 other tight ends have averaged at least 10 yards per play (with at least 40 targets).
I expect we’ll probably see the Ravens using more formations with multiple tight ends. Andrews is great, but Likely needs to also get on the field plenty.
Of the previous 19 tight ends to average 10 yards per target, six in their next season finished with top-5 numbers (using PPR scoring). I’ve got those guys tagged with double black dots. Another five at least with top-15 numbers (and just a single black dot for them).
| TIGHT ENDS AVERAGING 10 YARDS PER TARGET | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Player | Tgt | Rec | Yds | TD | YPT | Next Yr |
| 2010 | • Antonio Gates, S.D. | 65 | 50 | 782 | 10 | 12.0 | 64-778-7 |
| 2018 | O.J. Howard, T.B. | 48 | 34 | 565 | 5 | 11.8 | 34-459-1 |
| 2023 | George Kittle, S.F. | 90 | 65 | 1,020 | 6 | 11.3 | ?-?-? |
| 2018 | •• Mark Andrews, Balt. | 50 | 34 | 552 | 3 | 11.0 | 64-852-10 |
| 2021 | • Dallas Goedert, Phil. | 76 | 56 | 830 | 4 | 10.9 | 55-702-3 |
| 2019 | Jared Cook, N.O. | 65 | 43 | 705 | 9 | 10.8 | 37-504-7 |
| 2011 | •• Rob Gronkowski, N.E. | 124 | 90 | 1,327 | 17 | 10.7 | 55-790-11 |
| 2004 | Jeb Putzier, Den. | 54 | 36 | 572 | 2 | 10.6 | 37-481-0 |
| 2008 | Tony Scheffler, Den. | 61 | 40 | 645 | 3 | 10.6 | 31-416-2 |
| 2004 | •• Alge Crumpler, Atl. | 74 | 48 | 774 | 6 | 10.5 | 65-877-5 |
| 2017 | • Rob Gronkowski, N.E. | 105 | 69 | 1,084 | 8 | 10.3 | 47-682-3 |
| 2023 | Isaiah Likely, Balt. | 40 | 30 | 411 | 5 | 10.3 | ?-?-? |
| 2022 | • Dallas Goedert, Phil. | 69 | 55 | 702 | 3 | 10.2 | 59-592-3 |
| 2009 | •• Antonio Gates, S.D. | 114 | 79 | 1,157 | 8 | 10.1 | 50-782-10 |
| 2018 | •• George Kittle, S.F. | 136 | 88 | 1,377 | 5 | 10.1 | 85-1053-5 |
| 2013 | Vernon Davis, S.F. | 84 | 52 | 850 | 13 | 10.1 | 26-245-2 |
| 2008 | • Visanthe Shiancoe, Min. | 59 | 42 | 596 | 7 | 10.1 | 56-566-11 |
| 2020 | •• George Kittle, S.F. | 63 | 48 | 634 | 2 | 10.1 | 71-910-6 |
| 2008 | David Martin, Mia. | 45 | 31 | 450 | 3 | 10.0 | 0-0-0 |
| 2012 | Rob Gronkowski, N.E. | 79 | 55 | 790 | 11 | 10.0 | 39-592-4 |
| 2019 | Jonnu Smith, Ten. | 44 | 35 | 439 | 3 | 10.0 | 41-448-8 |
—Ian Allan