While the Baltimore Ravens were able to secure a win over the Los Angeles Chargers in the “Harbowl” between brothers Jim and John Harbaugh, it did come at a cost, with tight end Charlie Kolar suffering what looked like a pretty serious injury in the contest.
Now granted, injuries happen in every game, but the severity is what really matters, as it can define how long a player will be out, how they will look when they return, and ultimately, how the team will have to compensate for their exit, be it a short-term inconvenience or a long-term need.
On Saturday, fans of the Ravens got their answer, with Kolar and defensive back Arthur Maulet, who has been out for multiple weeks at this point, both heading to IR with a broken arm and a calf injury, respectively, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.
Now granted, the Maulet news shouldn’t be too tough a pill to swallow for the Ravens, as he’s only appeared in three games for Baltimore this season and has been out of action since Week 10. But losing Kolar will be a more challenging issue, as he’s started three games over his 12 appearances with nine catches for 131 yards and a receiving touchdown to his name on the year.
Factor in his run-blocking abilities in an offense that can attack opposing defenses in a variety of different ways on the ground, and it’ll be worth watching how players like Mark Andrews and Isaiah Likely are able to step up to replace his production.
The Ravens were on the fence about placing Charlie Kolar on IR
Discussing Kolar’s injury on Friday with reporters, Harbaugh was asked if the Ravens would have to place the third-year tight end on IR with his broken arm or if they would instead play it week-to-week.
While Harbaugh noted that he needed to talk to the team’s brass before they would make a final decision, it seemed like the Ravens genuinely weren’t sure which direction they would take things roughly 24 hours before the final decision was made.
“I probably really can’t say that right now. We’ll know … we have the bye week next week, and [executive vice president & general manager] Eric [DeCosta] and [head certified athletic trainer] Adrian [Dixon] and [chief medical officer] Dr. [Andrew] Tucker will go through that probably the next few days. Then there will be a decision.”
Is there a world where the Ravens kept Kolar on the active roster, letting him sit out against the Eagles, recover during the bye, and potentially see the field against the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 16? Potentially so, but now, Kolar won’t be eligible to return to the field until January.
Fortunately, the Ravens do have two good tight ends on their active roster plus Zaire Mitchell-Paden and Scotty Washington on the practice squad, so they should be able to hold things down both on the field and in the AFC North until Kolar is back and ready for action once more.
