Offseason positional preview: Tight end

The Baltimore Ravens are deep at a few positions, maybe none more so than tight end. They should be considering the large amount of investment they’ve made into it over the past several years.

In 2015 they doubled up on the position grabbing Maxx Williams and Nick Boyle, and they did so once again in 2018, grabbing Hayden Hurst and Mark Andrews this past Spring. Following the ‘18 season, it’s hard to say any of those investments were flat out bad, and you can make an argument for at least one being a big time success.

These four players comprise the current Ravens depth chart for the position, something we’re going to be taking a more in-depth look at below. The 2019 Ravens’ position outlook for the tight end spot:

Current depth chart:

• Nick Boyle: UFA

• Hayden Hurst: 2019 cap hit = $2,006,550

• Mark Andrews: 2019 cap hit = $689,165

• Maxx Williams: UFA

Offseason outlook:

As was stated at the top, this may be Baltimore’s deepest and strongest position. Boyle and Williams both had fine seasons as solid starters, though there’s not much of an argument to bring either back, at least not at a substantial price tag.

Once looked at as a bit of a bust, Williams had a nice season as a utility player, and Boyle has played a similar role for his entire career after being a fifth round pick. However, it’s the breakout season by Andrews and the promise of Hurst which makes it fairly easy to let them walk.

Andrews had over 500 yards and three scores while grading out as PFF’s #13 overall tight end in the entire league. He’ll be making less than a million dollars next year and should be the starter heading into training camp.

Hurst’s first season was ultimately a disappointment, as an injury sidelined him for the first month, leaving room for Andrews to break out and effectively take his spot. He had a few flashes though, and Lamar Jackson clearly thinks highly of him; hopefully he’s able shrug off the weight of a rough rookie season, and he has a full offseason in front of him to do so.

This is a position that really doesn’t need a ton of work. Let us know if you have any ideas on how to improve at the tight end position.