Still the Kings: Two Baltimore Ravens Position Groups Named NFL's Best

The combined powers of Mark Andrews and Justin Tucker have saved the Baltimore Ravens' skins after a rollercoaster offseason.

Dec 31, 2023; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Baltimore Ravens place kicker Justin Tucker (9) on the / Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports

Despite a somewhat depleting offseason, the Baltimore Ravens are still flying high.

Jan 1, 2023; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Baltimore Ravens tight end Isaiah Likely (80) celebrates with / Jessica Rapfogel-USA TODAY Sports

Baltimore has lost some major contributors (i.e. Jadeveon Clowney, Gus Edwards, Patrick Queen) from a memorable 13-win season but they're still well-stocked in a couple of major position groups, as documented by Sports Illustrated's Matt Verderame. On Verderame's list, Baltimore has the best depth charts when it comes to tight ends and kickers, standing as one of only three teams (Detroit and Philadelphia) to have multiple entries.

When it came to tight ends, Verderame was impressed at the way the Ravens were able to recover from the literally painful loss of Mark Andrews, praising Isaiah Likely's way of stepping up in an emergency. Verderame also lauded that the Ravens found their multi-faceted weapons in the relative backwall portions of the NFL Draft.

"Now (the Ravens) have two versatile tight ends after the emergence of Isaiah Likely, who stepped up for the injured Andrews last season," Verderame wrote. "Once again, the Ravens showed why they’re one of the best teams at drafting players—Andrews was a 2018 third-round pick and Likely was selected as a ’22 fourth-rounder."

Things are much simpler when it comes to the kicker spot, where the tenured Justin Tucker has remained stationed in the same spot since 2012. While last season was somewhat pedestrian by Tucker standards (his success rate of 86.5 being the fourth-lowest of his career), it was nothing to convince Verderame to remove the special teams crown out of Charm City.

"The Cowboys and Chiefs can quibble with this based on the way Brandon Aubrey and Harrison Butler kicked in 2023, but Tucker will likely remain the standard here until he retires," Verderame said. "Tucker is a five-time first-team All-Pro, and last year missed only six kicks between field goals and extra points."

Lists like these obviously don't win Super Bowls, but they at least show who will be the most dangerous on the path to New Orleans next winter. While the Ravens have suffered some undeniable losses and have kept relatively quiet beyond the addition of Derrick Henry, there's no doubt that they're well stocked for another attempt at the hardware.