Ravens designate tight end to return from injured reserve

Third-year tight end Charlie Kolar is back at practice and trending toward being able to play on Saturday.

When the Baltimore Ravens host the Cleveland Browns to kick off Week 18 in the regular season finale with the AFC North crown on the line, there’s a good chance they’ll have one of their key cogs on offense back in action.

Third-year tight end Charlie Kolar was on the practice field Monday after being designated to return from injured reserve after suffering a broken arm in late November the week of Thanksgiving in a win over the Los Angeles Chargers on Monday Night Football in Week 12.

“Having Charlie back is good,” head coach John Harbaugh said after practice. “This was kind of the target game. Usually, when you have a break like that, it’s pretty predictable. So, they were telling us that he had a good chance to be back for the Cleveland game, so we’ll see how he looks this week. Hopefully, he’s feeling good and ready to go.”

Despite suffering the injury during the game, Kolar played through it and was later diagnosed. According to three-time Pro Bowl starter Mark Andrews, his broken arm was the result of friendly fire when four-time Pro Bowl running back Derrick Henry ran into him during a play.

“If [Henry] gets running and you’re in front of him, get out of his way,” Andrews said in an appearance on the Pat McAfee show. “I think Charlie Kolar broke his forearm getting ran into by him but we gotta keep feeding him the rock. He’s been a beast.”

When healthy, Kolar is the Ravens’ primary blocking tight end, a role he takes tremendous pride in but this season, he has gotten to showcase more of the pass-catching prowess that made him a prolific producer at Iowa State University led to him being the first tight end the team selected in the fourth round of the 2022 NFL Draft. In the first 12 games, he nearly eclipsed the combined total of his previous two seasons in targets (11), receptions (nine) and receiving yards (131) and caught his second career touchdown.

With Kolar back in the fold along with Andrews and standout fellow third-yea pro Isaiah Likely, the Ravens and quarterback Lamar Jackson have the best trio of tight ends in the league which makes their offense that much more unpredictable. All three are talented pass catchers as well as willing and efficient blockers in the run game. Kolar helped open holes for Henry before he went down and Likely is often the lead blocker for Jackson on several of quarterback keepers to help seal the edge.

“You finally get your brother back out there with you,” Likely said Monday. “I know [Kolar]’s been eager to get back out there [to] finally getting to make plays again. I mean that’s just a blessing of how hard he’s been working.”

Being healthy at the right time is just as important to making a deep run as being hot and the Ravens are both right now with the playoffs right around the corner.