Owen Daniels Proving Invaluable for Ravens Offense This Season

Baltimore Ravens tight end Owen Daniels returned to practice on Wednesday, per the team's official Twitter account. Though he was limited, his appearance on the field makes it look more and more likely he'll be playing on Sunday night against the Pittsburgh Steelers. That should be music to the Ravens' ears.

Daniels missed Baltimore's Week 8 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals following arthroscopic knee surgery, and his absence was felt. Quarterback Joe Flacco completed only 17 of his 34 pass attempts for 195 yards, no touchdowns and two interceptions. The Ravens' receiving leaders were running back Lorenzo Taliaferro with 42 yards and rookie wideout Michael Campanaro for 40 yards.

The Ravens have again been dealing with a dearth of receiving options for Flacco. Tight end Dennis Pitta's season ended in September with another hip fracture and dislocation, receiver Torrey Smith has been less reliable than ever and didn't have a single target in Week 8. Marlon Brown, who had a breakout 2013, only has five catches this year.

As such, Flacco has been leaning heavily on Steve Smith Sr. It has paid off so far, with Smith Sr. leading the team with 41 receptions, 675 yards and four touchdowns. In fact, his receiving total is more than double the team's second-leading receiver, Smith. 

Daniels, meanwhile, has established himself as a reliable option for Flacco. He has the second-most catches on the team and the third-most receiving yards, having caught 27 of 37 passes thrown his way for 275 yards and three touchdowns. He is averaging 39.3 yards per game, has 18 first downs and a total of 95 yards after the catch. 

Player	Tgts.	Rec.	Rec.%	Yds.	YPR	TD	YPG	YAC	1st D.
S. Smith	68	41	60.3%	675	16.5	4	84.4	273	26
T. Smith	42	18	43.0%	308	17.1	4	38.5	55	15
Daniels	37	27	73.0%	275	10.2	3	39.3	95	18
Forsett	33	26	78.8%	135	5.2	0	16.9	155	3
Juszczyk	14	9	64.3%	116	12.9	1	14.5	80	4
Aiken	16	11	68.8%	113	10.3	1	14.1	22	5
Campanaro	6	6	100%	85	14.2	1	28.3	15	4

Daniels' numbers might seem unimpressive—17 tight ends have more receiving yards and 11 have more touchdowns. But taken in the context of the Baltimore passing offense, he's been invaluable.

According to Pro Football Focus (subscription required), the majority of Daniels' yards have come on passes thrown in the middle of the field from between zero and nine yards past the line of scrimmage—a traditional area for a tight end to catch passes—but he's more versatile than that.

Daniels also has a 30-yard catch thrown deep downfield outside the numbers and 70 additional yards in the deeper middle of the field 10 to 19 yards from the line of scrimmage. He can work multiple areas of the field, which is even more crucial to the Ravens while Smith is having a down year.

He's more than a receiver, though. Daniels is also a blocker in the run game as well as a pass-blocker, and he's done a solid job at both. Though Daniels has played only 11.2 percent of his snaps as a blocker, he hasn't given up a sack, quarterback hit or a hurry on 21 plays.

Phelan M. Ebenhack/Associated Press

In the run game, Daniels is a big reason why the Ravens rank fifth in run-blocking this season, according to Football Outsiders. On runs outside the left end, they rank eighth in adjusted line yards, with 4.64 yards per rush. On runs outside the right, they rank seventh, with 4.57 yards per rush.

Daniels is far more involved in run-blocking than in pass protection, with 141 of his 341 snaps played as a run-blocker. This part of his game, therefore, cannot be diminished. It's a role the Ravens have needed him to play, and it is one he has played well—Baltimore's run game currently ranks eighth in average yards per game, and Daniels should receive his fair share of credit for contributing to that.

Thirty-nine yards per game isn't a huge number, but the Ravens could have used those 39 yards—and simply another read for Flacco in the passing game—last week. While it's nice to see rookies like Campanaro, Taliaferro and Crockett Gillmore get playing time, Daniels and his 73 percent catch rate gives the Ravens a reliability factor they very much need this year.

The Ravens will certainly be happy to have him back on Sunday night against the Steelers, whose defense Football Outsiders ranks 25th this year against tight ends, and who have allowed an average of 59.4 yards per game to the position. 

Daniels did not participate in the open portion of practice on Thursday, per Aaron Wilson of The Baltimore Sun. However, according to Wilson, it looked like a day of rest—he reported no setbacks after practicing on Wednesday. 

This matches up with what offensive coordinator Gary Kubiak said to Wilson last week: "Owen is fine. John [Harbaugh] has a plan for these veteran guys. I know he has had a plan for O.D. and how he keeps him fresh and keeps him ready to go. As far as what we're doing, game plan, those type of things, O.D. will be fine."

Daniels may not be a Pro Bowler this year, nor even a top-10 tight end. But what he does for the Ravens has helped the team get to a 5-3 record through the first half of the season. Getting him back on the field Sunday night will improve the Ravens offense in tangible, if subtle, ways.