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After going down in practice on Tuesday afternoon, Baltimore Ravens tight end Isaiah Likely now faces a race against time to be ready for Week One after his diagnosis of a small foot fracture has been revealed.
During the last rep of the team's training-camp practice on Tuesday during a 1-on-1 drill against safety Sanoussi Kane, Likely went down and was carted off the field, being taken to the locker room while putting little weight on his leg.
Now with the regular season looming at the beginning of September, Likely has a few weeks to nurse his foot back to full strength to not give the Ravens their first regular-season setback before the year's first official snap, per ESPN.
After Tuesday's practice ended, Ravens head coach John Harbaugh told reporters that Likely will be sidelined for a few weeks to recover.
Baltimore's regular-season opener against the Buffalo Bills, in a possible playoff preview, is slated for September 7.
That's more than five weeks away, making the injury more severe than the longtime Ravens' boss wanted for a key offensive cog.
Ravens tight end Isaiah Likely now faces a race against time to be ready for Week One
Likely's diagnosis of a small foot fracture was revealed after going down in practice Tuesday
Alongside Mark Andrews, Likely is part of the tight-end duo that has helped propel the Ravens offense into one of the best in the NFL.
Earlier on Tuesday, it was reported that Likely was going to receive a contract extension and a pay bump. Nothing official has been announced by the team.
The 25-year-old is set to make $3.4million in 2025, much more than he earned from his rookie contract, in a move typical of later round draft picks.
Likely has been with the Ravens for his entire professional career since being drafted in the fourth round in 2022.
His star-making arrival was the season opener of 2024 against the Kansas City Chiefs, where he had nine catches and a touchdown, only not a pair of scores by an inch at the last moment of the contest.
Likely finished last season with 42 catches with 477 receiving yards and six touchdowns. The tight end also caught a touchdown in the Divisional round last year against the Bills.
The Ravens again are viewed as a Super Bowl contender, alongside the Chiefs and the Bills in the AFC.
Baltimore may have the hardest opening six weeks in the NFL with games also against the Chiefs, Texans, Rams, and Lions. Maybe the only respite is in Week 2 at home against the Browns.
