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The Baltimore Ravens are having a wild offseason that has been defined by the Lamar Jackson saga. After a lengthy back-and-forth between the organization and Jackson, including a period where it was uncertain if Jackson was going to even be staying in Baltimore, he finally signed a massive 5-year contract extension. By keeping Lamar Jackson in Baltimore for the long haul, the Ravens were able to qualm any concerns about their future from the fans and look ahead to the 2023 season. While voluntary and mandatory workouts are underway across the NFL, the Ravens can now focus on positional battles with their quarterback locked up. There are two positions in particular that will see Ravens' rookies potentially dip into some veteran playing time once the season begins. Rookie WR Zay Flowers and rookie TE Travis Vokolek could end up keeping WR Nelson Agholor and TE Isaiah Likely off of the gridiron.
Both the WR and TE position will be paramount for the Ravens this year under the first year offensive coordinator Todd Monken and an offense that plans to pass a lot more. Lamar Jackson has been vocal about not only his desire to pass more, but his belief in the new offense that will allow him to do so. In turn, playmakers on the Ravens offense will be depended upon much more versus the past where Jackson could be counted on to run the Ravens to wins. Overall, Baltimore is definitely looking to protect Jackson much more diligently after investing so much of their future into him this offseason, so this will mean getting the ball out of his hands. The Ravens are still going to run the ball a decent amount, and JK Dobbins figures to be heavily involved at running back this year, but pass catchers are going to be playing a bigger role. This is exactly why rookies Zay Flowers and Travis Vokolek are going to push Nelson Agholor and Isaiah Likely out of their roles.
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Nelson Agholor, WR
Zay Flowers fell farther than many expected in the 2023 NFL Draft, but it might have been for the best. The speedy WR out of Boston College was taken No. 22 overall by the Ravens and finds himself in an opportunity to make a difference from day 1. Being a rookie, he figures to start out the season behind veterans Odell Beckham Jr., Rashod Bateman, and Nelson Agholor on the depth chart. However, his extreme potential and the fact that the Ravens spent a first-round pick on him does not bode well for the veterans' chances of staving him off for too long. In the end, Nelson Agholor is the most likely culprit to lose playing time to Zay Flowers.
Odell Beckham Jr. figures to be the No. 1 WR for the Ravens this year. If he can produce like he once has, he will all of the sudden add a whole new passing element to the Ravens offense. Next, Rashod Bateman was Jackson's favorite wide receiver last season when Bateman was healthy, and he figures to maintain that chemistry going into 2023. Nelson Agholor is the odd man out, as this will be his first year in Baltimore and he is coming in after a pretty up-and-down career so far. Agholor has had severe drop issues in the past, and Jackson and the Ravens will most likely prioritize building chemistry with Flowers over Agholor from the start. Bateman has been there, and Beckham is a hall-of-famer, so Flowers is more than likely gunning for playing time over Agholor. It might be Nelson Agholor's first year in Baltimore, but it doesn't project to be a big one by any means.
Isaiah Likely, TE
Mark Andrews is one of the best tight ends in the NFL. He doesn't figure to lose playing time to anyone in Baltimore anytime soon, especially because he has clearly been Jackson's favorite target ever since the quarterback entered the league. Still, the backup to Andrews plays an all-important role in spelling Andrews when he needs one and taking care of blocking responsibilities that Andrews could more likely get injured on. Although Isaiah Likely was a solid offensive replacement for Andrews last season when the star tight end got injured, he leaves a lot to be desired in the blocking game. This is where rookie Travis Vokolek comes in.
Undrafted out of the University of Nebraska, Vokolek looks like he could be a blocking tight end in the NFL for a long time. At 6'6 and 260 pounds, he has the frame to be the extra blocker that the Ravens need on an offense that still figures to do quite a bit behind the line of scrimmage. He could easily cut into Likely's playing time by taking on the blocking downs that Andrews will be out for, all but cutting out Likely from seeing the field. Likely could still see some time as a potential extra option catching the ball, but expect to see Vokolek inch closer to becoming the primary blocking tight end for the Ravens this season.
