Baltimore Ravens tight end Isaiah Likely
Baltimore Ravens tight end Isaiah Likely is, well, unlikely to play Week 1 vs. Buffalo, according to a report.
The Baltimore Ravens held out hope tight end Isaiah Likely might be ready for Week 1 against the Buffalo Bills, but they’re apparently taking the cautious route with the 25-year-old.
NFL Media’s Ian Rapoport reported on Sept. 3 that Likely was not expected to play in the season opener vs. the Bills. Likely has been sidelined for all of training camp and the preseason after undergoing surgery to repair a fracture in his foot in early August.
It’s not a huge surprise, of course, given the original timeline for his recovery. Additionally, Likely wasn’t a participant in practice to start the week, which pointed toward him not being in the mix for Buffalo.
The Ravens are also waiting to see if new cornerback Jaire Alexander (knee) can give it a go in Week 1, but in answering a question about the former Pro Bowler, Ravens head coach John Harbaugh indirectly shed light on how they’ll likely approach the Likely injury situation, too.
“In terms of just injury updates, (you are) probably not going to get much out of me at this point, unless it’s an obvious one (or) unless we know if a guy’s going to play or if he’s not going to play,” Harbaugh told reporters to start the week. “So, you might get a little more on Friday, just because you’ll know who hasn’t practiced. If they haven’t practiced, they’re unlikely to play, unless they’ve been playing all the way up to that point, then maybe they’ll play.”