After months of speculation about Odell Beckham‘s potential signing and Lamar Jackson’s contract status, the Ravens are a little over 48 hours away from playing a meaningful football game.
The 2023 NFL regular season is upon us, as Baltimore and Houston offer several intriguing storylines, including the debut of first-year head coach DeMeco Ryans, and No. 2 overall pick, C.J. Stroud.
Buy Ravens TicketsJohn Harbaugh’s team is an under the radar Super Bowl hopeful and a franchise with a loaded roster has several guys looking for a breakout season.
With Thursday’s practice approaching, here are five breakout candidates.
WR Zay Flower
Flowers is a rookie and surrounded by talented pass catchers, but both Odell Beckham and Rashod Bateman have battled injuries over the past few years.
The rookie from Boston College is electric and could hit the ground running in his first season.
WR Rashod Bateman
Bateman has beefed with GM Eric DeCostra, but there’s no doubt that he has the talent to be a premiere pass catcher in the NFL.
Bateman appeared in just six games last season and finished with 15 catches for 285 yards and two touchdowns. As a rookie, Bateman finished with 46 catches for 515 yards and a touchdown.
It’s a deep Baltimore wide receiver group and Bateman is primed to be the lead dog.
TE Isaiah Likely
The former Coastal Carolina tight end looked stout in relief of an injured Mark Andrews last season and he’s shown he can be more than just a run-blocker.
A fourth-round pick in 2022, Likely flashed his potential as a rookie, logging 36 catches for 373 yards and three touchdowns in 16 games.
He improved as the season went on, catching six passes for 77 yards and a touchdown in Week 8 against Tampa Bay and eight receptions for 103 yards in Week 17 versus Cincinnati.
Both standout performances came with Andrews out of the lineup.
OLB David Ojabo
When the Ravens used a second-round pick David Ojabo out of Michigan in the 2022 draft, the idea was that he’d form into a Brandon Graham style edge rusher that could rush the passer and be stout against the run.
Now fully healthy, Ojabo needs a solid second-year to avoid the bust label.
FS Kyle Hamilton
A traditional deep safety that can flourish in the slot, Hamilton is a playmaking safety that can lock down tight ends or wide receivers.
Hamilton finished 2022 as the NFL’ss No. 7 safety according to PFF, and Hamilton was on the field for 92% of the defensive snaps in Baltimore’s loss to the Cincinnati Bengals during an AFC wild-card game.
He’ll look to improve on the two sacks, five passes defended and 62 combined tackles last season.
Wild Card--Patrick Queen
Queen had his fifth-year option declined and 2023 offers a prime opportunity for the SEC star to finally breakout at the linebacker spot.
The 28th pick in the 2020 NFL draft, Queen has started all 50 of his regular-season games for Baltimore.
Durable and productive, Queen has logged 321 tackles, 10 sacks, three interceptions, four forced fumbles, five fumble recoveries and a defensive touchdown. He’s one of only three NFL players to have at least 300 tackles, three interceptions and 10 sacks since 2020.
Baltimore drafted Trenton Simpson in the third round, but it’s Queen who offers the most athleticism and potential at the position.
