Ravens Depth Chart: Forecasting Tight End Competition

Let’s talk numbers. Six. That’s the number of tight ends on the Ravens that have a legitimate shot to make the 53-man roster. 10. That’s the number of games Nick Boyle is suspended for, putting a damper on what looked to be a promising career. Here’s another number. $8.97 million. That’s how much money the Ravens have wrapped up in those six tight ends. Here’s one more: $2 million. The amount of dead money the Ravens would incur if they cut either Dennis Pitta or Ben Watson. Those are a lot of resources wrapped up in one position.

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Those are the raw numbers in what will shape up to be the most interesting position battle on the Ravens this season. This group transcends a traditional depth chart: All three or four guys who make the final roster will play. Rather than trying to determine the eventual depth chart, I ranked the tight ends with any chance to make the roster in order of how many snaps I expect them to get.

1. Ben Watson

The Ravens don’t sign unrestricted free agents often, so when they do, the moves they make are bound to be meaningful. Despite not having a need at tight end, the Ravens signed Ben Watson early in the process. Why? I can think of two reasons.

First, Watson immediately is the fastest pure tight end on the team (another, converted tight end is faster, but we’ll get to him later). Watson can stretch the seam and get open deep, something the Ravens haven’t had at the position since Ed Dickson still remembered how to catch. After a year completely devoid of big plays, getting a field stretcher like Watson makes sense.

Second, the Ravens’ young tight end corps last year flashed talent, but never quite gelled. Watson brings a well respected veteran presence to the locker room. Maxx Williams in particular could benefit from a veteran to take him under his wing and help him develop.

Though he can’t be relied upon to block at this stage in his career, Watson should lead the Ravens’ tight ends in receiving yards and yards per catch. I would expect his role to diminish as the season wears on and Williams and Gillmore continue to develop.

2. Crockett Gillmore

Just call Crockett Gillmore the new Pitta, except huge and lumbering. Gillmore established immediately chemistry with Joe Flacco, proving to be a reliable outlet receiver and occasional big play threat. Gillmore was the Ravens’ most productive tight end last year, going for 412 yards and four touchdowns in just ten games. He unquestionably established himself as a legitimate starter in the NFL.

The key for Gillmore is to get healthy. He’s coming off torn labrums in both shoulders, and spent much of last season banged up, even when he was playing. If Gillmore establishes that he’s back at full strength (and initial reports are positive), then he will play a big role yet again, with similar production to last season.

3. Maxx Williams

Though Maxx Williams set Ravens’ rookie records for tight end receiving marks, his season was viewed as a disappointment by the fanbase. That’s not at all fair to Williams: He was targeted almost exclusively on short passes, limiting his yards per catch to a paltry 8.4, and his run blocking more than made up for the lack of receiving production.

In fact, on a team with two burly big guys like Gillmore and Nick Boyle, it was Williams who was the best run blocker the Ravens had at the position. That’s encouraging for a guy who wasn’t supposed to be a blocker coming out of college.

Another year in an NFL weight program will do Williams a world of good. In college, he looked just a little underpowered. Last year, he showed good run blocking technique, which made him an effective blocker. However, he wasn’t driving guys off the ball. With more strength, he has the potential to do that.

The Ravens targeted Williams predominantly on screens and in the flat, two areas he did not excel in while in college. There is no reason for Williams to go from averaging 16 yards per catch in college to 8.4 in the pros, yet the Ravens’ scheme made that happen. But that can’t happen again. On a team that was starved for big plays, the Ravens made a mistake not giving Williams more of a chance to make big plays. If Williams is on the field, they need to give him a chance to make plays rather than just using him as a dump off threat.

Williams has more potential than anyone at this position, and his ability to catch contested balls should endear him to Joe Flacco. Yet, their chemistry seemed off last year. Accordingly, despite his potential, Williams is the biggest boom or bust option at the position.

4. Dennis Pitta

On one hand, Dennis Pitta has been the most consistently productive tight end on this team when healthy. His hands are unquestionable, and his chemistry with Flacco unmistakeable. If Pitta is healthy, and with $2 million in dead money associated with cutting him, Pitta will play.

That said, Pitta’s health is a huge question mark. Two catastrophic hip injuries leave no room for confidence, and even if healthy, Pitta has gone two years without playing meaningful football. He will be rusty, and his athleticism has to have tanked.

We all remember what Pitta does well. He has a preternatural ability to find the sticks, turn around and catch a tightly contested ball in traffic for a first down. That won’t change. What might is Pitta’s ability to stretch the seam and catch contested ball. Remember Pitta’s game-changing third-down catch in the Mile High Miracle game, in which he got a step on a deep ball then caught a contested ball? Who knows if he would be able to do that again?

5. Nick Boyle

Nick Boyle was a pleasant surprise last year, going for 18 catches and 153 yards in his rookie year. Unfortunately for him and the Ravens, he was suspended the final four games of 2015, and he will miss the first 10 games of 2016 due to a PED suspension. Boyle looked good last year, especially after the catch, but a mid-tier blocking tight end who runs a 5.0 isn’t worth the headache. He will need to be spotless off the field and stellar in training camp to earn a roster spot when he comes back after the 10th game.

6. Darren Waller

Here is the wildcard, the converted wide receiver Darren Waller. The athleticism is astounding: 6’6″, 238 pounds, 4.46 40-yard dash and 37″ vertical. With athleticism like that, Waller cannot be covered by a linebacker, and he’s too big for a safety.

Yet Waller did next to nothing as a receiver last year, catching just two balls for 18 yards. Waller will need to have a huge camp to get a chance to contribute as a tight end.

Aside from his athleticism, Waller has one other thing going for him that no other tight end has: He is excellent on special teams. Waller played as a gunner last year on punt team and was effective, coming up with three tackles and rarely getting beaten by opposing returners.

Waller looks like an excellent candidate for the practice squad if his special teams prowess isn’t enough to get him on the team. If cut, though, Waller might be an attractive option for a team looking for a high upside receiver who can contribute on special teams. That would make him hard to retain on the practice squad.