Ravens TEs Targeting Better Blocking With Derrick Henry

With King Henry in the backfield, the Baltimore Ravens are preaching blocking to their tight end group more than ever.

Jul 27, 2024; Owings Mill , MD, USA; Baltimore Ravens running back Derrick Henry (22) moved into position during the afternoon session of training camp at the Under Armour Performance Center, Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports / Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports

The Baltimore Ravens have placed a strong emphasis on the ground game throughout the Lamar Jackson era, and with Derrick Henry coming to town this offseason, they may look to run the ball more than ever.

To do so effectively, though, the Ravens have to make sure their blocking is the best it can possibly be. Much has been made about the offensive line, which saw three starters leave this offseason. However, other position groups will get their hands dirty as well, especially the tight ends.

Baltimore has a dedicated blocking tight end in Charlie Kolar, and another who can block effectively when needed in Isaiah Likely. As Likely revealed on Saturday, improving as a blocker is a big goal for both him and the tight end group as a whole.

"I felt like, obviously, [I] want to get better with in-line blocking," Likely told reporters. "That's definitely going to keep me on the field a lot more, but really, just working on that first step, that hand placement and really just strain. That's the one thing that I felt like ... As a blocker, it's more [about] your willingness. 'How much do you want it more for your person not to make the tackle, rather than him make the play? So, I feel like that's more of your want and your drive, at the end of the day, in the play, and I feel like that's something I'm going to show a lot more this year."

Henry, being the special player that he is, managed to thrive with the Tennessee Titans even with some blocking troubles in front of him. He'll hopefully have a much better situation to work with in Baltimore, and even do some blocking of his own.

"You know, the good thing about Derrick [Henry] [is that] he can run with a lot of bodies in there, or [he can] run with not a lot of bodies in space," tight ends coach George Godsey said. "We'll do both of it, and everybody's going to have their role. We're going to block for him, and he's going to block for us in the passing game, so it's going to be a good cohesive unit to work together to get yards."

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