A depth chart for the tight end position wouldn?t do the Ravens any good.
With Daniel Wilcox recovering from toe surgery, third-stringer Quinn Sypniewski out for the season with a left knee injury and starter Todd Heap still not at optimum health, the Ravens? picture at tight end in very much blurred.
“We’re concerned about every position,” Ravens coach John Harbaugh said. “But when you’ve got guys who are hurt right now and can’t practice, it becomes a bigger concern.”
Most of those opportunities have gone to rookies Joe Reitz, Scott Kuhn and Xavier Lee. Kuhn, however, broke his left thumb during a special teams practice on Saturday, prompting Lee to take reps at both quarterback and tight end. Even Lee Vickers, who took over for the injured Wilcox last season, has missed time with an undisclosed hand injury.
“Just have fun,” Lee said. “Coach said, ?Be an athlete out there and try to make a play and catch the ball.?”
Reitz, who signed out of Central Michigan, is 6-foot-7 and 256-pounds, but never played football in college because he was a forward on the basketball team . Now, he is trying to translate his skills to the pro level, similar to Antonio Gates, the Chargers All-Pro tight end who entered the NFL as a standout basketball player at Kent State.
Kuhn was largely a backup at Louisville, as the 6-foot-6, 255-pounder caught just 15 pass for 171 yards and two touchdowns last fall. Even second-year linebacker Edgar Jones and tackle Marshal Yanda have taken snaps at the position.
“Everybody is rehabbing and should be ready for training camp or some where around there,” Heap said. “Obviously, it?s an issue right now, but a lot of other guys are getting opportunities. Their heads are spinning the first time out there and I am going to try to help guys along as quickly as possible.”
And while tight end isn?t as important a position on the field as one such as quarterback, the team needs all the help it can get on offense.
The Ravens ranked just 23rd in the league in total offense last season, averaging a meager 17.2 points and 302 yards per game and were a league-worst -17 in turnover differential en route to a 5-11 season.
“It?s intense out there and everyone is trying to learn what is going on and everyone is on edge,” Heap said. “We have a lot of stuff we have been putting in and a lot of stuff to do offensively and that?s our focus right now.”
