Ravens TE Isaiah Likely (foot) not expected to play Week 1 vs. Bills, per report

The Baltimore Ravens will be short-handed offensively for Week 1 against the Buffalo Bills. NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reported early Wednesday morning that Ravens’ tight end Isaiah Likely is not expected to suit up for Sunday Night Football as he continues to recover from a broken bone in his foot, an injury he sustained in late July during training camp. The Coastal Carolina product underwent surgery and was expected to miss six weeks, so this news shouldn’t be too surprising for either fanbase.

While Likely is technically the TE2 behind Mark Andrews, the 25-year-old was expected to take a big leap this season as he built more chemistry with quarterback Lamar Jackson late last season. Likely nabbed 4-of-5 targets for 73 yards and a touchdown in last season’s divisional-round loss versus Buffalo, too, so his presence will be missed on Sunday night in Orchard Park. This leaves both Andrews and Charlie Kolar as the lone tight ends for Baltimore’s offense.

The Ravens may also be without fullback Patrick Rickard and cornerback Jaire Alexander, as they haven’t practices in weeks. We will have more to come.

As for Buffalo, it has its own list of injuries to deal with as Sunday Night Football approaches, but not having to gameplan for the tight end duo of Likely and Andrews certainly makes things just a bit easier.