Ravens' Isaiah Likely Reportedly Set to Miss Game vs. Bills amid Foot Injury Rehab

Baltimore Ravens tight end Isaiah Likely is unlikely to be ready for the start of the regular season as he continues to rehab a foot injury that required surgery in July.

Per NFL Network's Ian Rapoport, Likely is expected to miss Sunday's opener against the Buffalo Bills.

Rapoport noted Likely's rehab is progressing well and he "should be ready" at some point early in the season.

Likely suffered a small fracture in his foot during Ravens' practice on July 30 and had to undergo surgery to repair the injury.

Rapoport noted at the time that Likely's expected recovery time was six weeks, but it could be faster depending on how his rehab went.

A six-week timetable means Likely could be back as early as Week 2. The Ravens may not want to rush him into the lineup right away given the fickle nature of foot injuries and the time needed to get him into game shape after missing more than one month.

The Ravens do have the benefit of two starting-caliber tight ends on their roster that they can ease Likely back when he's healthy. Mark Andrews, who caught a career-high 11 touchdowns in 2024, will get the start in Week 1.

Likely looked like he was going to have a breakout season in 2024. He opened the year with 111 yards and one touchdown in a 27-20 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs.

Things slowed down considerably after that, as Likely had just one game with at least 50 receiving yards over his final 15 games. The 25-year-old did have six touchdowns on just 42 receptions.

Not having Likely on the field limits some of Baltimore's two tight-end sets that were a big part of why the offense was so effective last season, but there's still plenty of talent on the roster to play at a high level against a good Bills team.

The Ravens and Bills will play at Highmark Stadium in the first Sunday Night Football game of the season.