Nick Boyle looks lean and is moving much better at OTAs

Franchise quarterback Lamar Jackson’s absence aside, a lot of the talk of the Baltimore Ravens’ Organized Team Activities over the last two weeks has been about returning players that slimmed down this offseason and are looking much lighter on their feet.

One such player that continues to receive rave reviews and is looking much more agile after dropping a noticeable amount of weight is veteran tight end Nick Boyle. The run-blocking extraordinaire is more than a year and a half removed from the catastrophic knee injury that ended his 2020 season and limited him to just five games in 2021.

“He does look like a new guy,” Head Coach John Harbaugh said. “You can see he’s way leaner. He’s really worked hard, he’s moving well. Last year he just wasn’t the same. That injury was a bad injury. We certainly all hoped he’d come back last year and be ready to go. He just couldn’t do it. He did have a setback or two along the way. Now it’s all clicked. He looks like Nick, I would say a little faster a little quicker.”

The new and improved and finally healthy Boyle claims that even though he has a more slender frame, his strength and power have remained the same despite not having the bulk he has been accustomed to carrying around.

“You take some horsepower out of the car, the horsepower is still the same but you get to move a little faster,” Boyle said.

According to the roster on the team’s official website, he is currently listed at 270-pounds but after an intense workout regimen while training in Arizona, Boyle said he shed 10 to 12 pounds this offseason.

In addition to Harbaugh being impressed with Boyle’s commitment and recovery from his injury, his teammate Mark Andrews and Offensive Coordinator Greg Roman echoed similar sentiments during last week’s OTA session.

“He looks like a completely new guy this year,” Roman added. “It’s unbelievable what he’s done, the hard work he’s put in. He’s looking really good.”

Andrews had a front-row seat to Boyle’s transformation this offseason since the two trained together and he believes he is healthy and as driven as ever.

“I saw how hard he worked,” Andrews said. “I saw how hungry he was. And if you see him right now, he looks like a different person. He’s ready to go.”

The Ravens’ rushing attack remained potent and productive in his absence over the last season and a half but it wasn’t nearly as ferocious or imposing as it was when he was in the fold. Without Boyle, Roman had to adjust his plan of attack and personnel packages. Even though the team drafted rookies Charlie Kolar and Isaiah Likely, the offense hums more smoothly when it’s proven key cogs are healthy and imposing their will on the opposition.