My how quickly things change once the NFL gets a few weeks under its belt.
Heading into the 2014 season under new offensive coordinator Gary Kubiak, the Ravens and many fans knew just how important the tight end position would be in the new system.
The Ravens seemed well-stocked with Dennis Pitta returning healthy from an hip injury, along with the addition of Owen Daniels via free agency and the selection of Crockett Gillmore in the third round of the draft only verified how heavily the tight ends would be utilized.
With the injury bug biting Dennis Pitta who may have perhaps played his last down in the league, Owen Daniels is proving he has plenty left in the tank and has become a valuable asset in the Ravens passing game.
“We didn’t expect him maybe to be this much in the forefront, and yet he has handled it tremendously well,” John Harbaugh stated following the game on Sunday. “He has had a great season. He blocks, he makes big catches. Just can’t say enough about Owen.”
Through seven games this season, Daniels, the nine-year veteran has been outstanding. His last name isn’t Thomas, Graham, Gronkowski or Olsen but his 275 receiving yards on 27 receptions rank him as the eighth best tight end per NFL.com.
More importantly is that many of those receptions have come when the Ravens needed them most, in the redzone.
In week two it was Daniels two-yard touchdown reception that put the Ravens on the scoreboard first against the Steelers. Later in the third quarter with the Ravens up by just four points, Flacco again hit Daniels on a one-yard touchdown pass and the Ravens never looked back.
Fast forward to Sunday’s game against the Falcons.
The Ravens got off to another fast start and it was Daniels who gave the Ravens an early lead by hanging on to his third touchdown reception of the season despite getting hit hard by two defenders in the endzone.
“[When] he gets one-on-one or running across the field, he’s a nice, big target. He’s a good player. He gets himself open. He gets leverage on guys,” quarterback Joe Flacco said about his trust in Daniels. “He knows when to sit in holes, so you can trust when he is doing something that you can put the ball on, and nobody is going to undercut him, or anything like that. And he makes catches in traffic.
“He obviously has held onto the ball a lot of times while getting hit by two guys, even one in the end zone today. So yes, I have a lot of confidence throwing to him.”
To some there are valid concerns about Daniels’ injury history. To help offset the amount of reps he’s taken thus far (341 total snaps), the Ravens seem content on giving him off at least one day of practice each week to keep him fresh. The plan is working.
While Pitta was certainly a Flacco go-to-guy in the clutch, it’s safe to say that Daniels is working his way up to that same status one reception at a time.
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