It was the last rep of the day, one-on-one drills, Isaiah Likely out wide, working through what looked like a clean break on his route. No pads popping, no dramatic tumble, just a sudden misstep and a roll of the ankle that stopped him cold. Trainers were on him fast, cart rolling in quietly like it already knew the drill. No panic, just a few sidelong glances as the Ravens‘ tight end headed inside under his own power. The team didn’t confirm anything.

“We’ll know tomorrow,” the head coach, John Harbaugh, said on Tuesday. Now that tomorrow is here, we’ve the latest insight on Likely’s injury update and maybe a potential return. ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, who was one of the first ones to report the tight end’s injury on Tuesday, recently reported that Likely has suffered a small foot fracture during Tuesday’s practice. Fowler, along with Jamison Hensley, reported that if all goes well, it’s an early-season return and a Week 1 possibility for the tight end.

Earlier, Coach Harbaugh told the reporters that the 25-year-old tight end is likely to be out for “a few weeks.” However, ESPN’s reports now suggest that Likely could be in to return for the Sunday night opener against the Buffalo Bills. It’s not confirmed, sure. But Coach Harbaugh and the Ravens are surely optimistic about the TE’s return.

While Likely is hopeful for a speedy recovery, fellow tight ends Mark Andrews and Charlie Kolar will be the top two TEs for the Baltimore team. A former fourth-round pick, the Ravens selected Isaiah Likely 139th overall in the 2022 NFL draft. Since then, the guy showed off his burst up the seam and hauled in a few chunk plays.

Across three seasons, Likely appeared in 49 regular-season games, started 18, and piled up 1,261 yards on 108 catches. The 2024 season proved to be a career-high, during which he caught 42 passes for 477 yards and 6 touchdowns. With that already in mind, Isaiah Likely is now returning for the final season of his rookie deal and is expected to complement Andrews in a tight-end-friendly, 12-personnel-heavy Ravens offense as the 2025 regular season inches closer. Meanwhile, John Harbaugh just shared an update on his Pro Bowl CB.

Injury issues haunt Jaire Alexander in Baltimore as well

The first week of training camp came and went. Helmets crashed, bodies got banged up, and head coaches broke the news no one wants to hear… IR, PUP, or worse, and left the fans’ fingers crossed, hoping their teams made it out cleaner than most. And the Ravens were not exempt. Hopefully, the Baltimore team didn’t have any serious injury concerns. But let’s not forget that they recently acquired two-time Pro Bowl cornerback Jaire Alexander from Green Bay.

The CB has had injury issues in the past couple of seasons. And the way things have shaped up, that injury bug just won’t stop biting. Coach Harbaugh recently addressed Alexander’s absence from the practice and confirmed that, “He (Jaire) had a little swelling and we wanted to drain his knee today. He should be back tomorrow.” That’s something the Ravens’ faithful would want to hear.

Still, given Alexander’s injury history, the fact that he’s already missing reps is enough to rattle a few nerves in the fanbase. Last season, the 28-year-old corner sustained a knee injury. Later, the Packers revealed that Alexander had injured his posterior cruciate ligament. Fast forward to now, Jaire is still out for a brief period. And honestly, it makes total sense.

Veterans at skill positions usually get rest. Their knees and joints take a beating from constant cuts and sudden moves. The Ravens made a smart call, and now their CB will join them soon as all eyes shift to the regular season.