Rookies Earning More Reps For Ravens in Playoffs

The Ravens have a solid foundation moving forward.

OWINGS MILLS, Md. — Several rookies finally got a chance to shine for the Ravens in the regular-season final against the Bengals.

Their performance might have earned them more reps in the playoff game against Cincinnati on Sunday night.

Tight end Charlie Kolar showed his ability to catch the ball in traffic and finished with four receptions for 49 yards.

Outside linebacker David Ojabo earned his first career sack that forced a fumble in just his second game.

In addition, rookie tight end Isaiah Likely, who has appeared in 16 games this season, had his best performance with eight receptions for 103 yards. 

Coach John Harbaugh was left with a good impression of the younger players.  

"That’s exactly – if that’s where you’re going with it," he said. "Those guys have all proven that they can play, and they have a valuable role for us. Those two guys specifically, I thought did a really good job. Some of the guys who have been playing all along – take Isaiah Likely, add him into the mix there – and others. ‘Pepe’ [Damarion Williams] was out there playing; he did a good job. So, I’m not going to think of everybody off the top of my head, but I’m really happy with those guys.

"Those guys will be out there together plenty, for sure. We have a lot of options with the tight ends, and we plan on using them.”

Samuel Njoku: Eric DeCosta has been the subject of recent criticism for the lack of playmakers on offense and the ongoing saga with Lamar Jackson, but signing Roquan Smith is a big win for the @Ravens GM and the franchise. #RavensFlock https://t.co/R5b1jPIvdv

— Todd Karpovich (@toddkarpovich) January 11, 2023

Fellow rookies Kyle Hamilton, Tyler Linderbaum, and Travis Jones have been making an impact all season. 

The Ravens have a solid foundation moving forward.

"We’ve played a lot of rookies; we are a very young team," Harbaugh said. "We have some good veteran leadership, but we’re also a very young team. Rookies, they make plays a lot of times and they flash their potential future, but sometimes they learn too. They learn on the job, and you have to put them out there and give them a chance to learn. We have a lot of rookies, so we have a lot of guys out there learning on the job right now. 

"I’m happy about that; you just have to coach them through the mistakes they might make or the experiences that they might have that they need to learn from. So, that’s kind of where we’re at.”