OWINGS MILLS, Md. — Baltimore Ravens rookie tight end Josh Cuevas says it partly in jest, but there’s also a curiosity behind the question that he regularly poses to veteran teammate Durham Smythe. And there’s maybe some desperation mixed in, too.“I ask him every day, like, ‘Hey, man, does it get easier?’” Cuevas said earlier this week.Smythe played with the Chicago Bears last year in an offense similar to the one Declan Doyle is installing in Baltimore. He’s also a nine-year veteran who knows the ins and outs of preparing for an NFL season and embracing a specific role.On that front, Cuevas and fellow first-year tight end Matt Hibner have a lot to learn, and the daily lessons have threatened to overwhelm both players.“It really is like drinking from a firehose for the first— it’s actually still a little bit like that,” Hibner said. “I think that’s part of the challenge that our offense is trying to establish. Declan talks about it like, ‘Yeah, it’s hard. We want to stress you guys, but also we want to make it complex for us so that it’s complex for defenses.’ That is kind of the whole point.”All eyes on Ravens standout rookie receiver Ja’Kobi LaneJeff ZrebiecThe Ravens’ preseason opener against the Philadelphia Eagles Saturday at M&T Bank Stadium represents a milepost for new head coach Jesse Minter’s team, and its young players in particular.The last three weeks have answered some of the pressing questions that accompanied the start of Ravens training camp. Quarterback Lamar Jackson, who won’t play Saturday — or maybe at all this preseason — is in a good place. He looks healthy and excited about the direction of the team and the offense. Defensive end Nnamdi Madubuike is taking it slow, but he remains on track to return from a career-threatening neck injury. Outside linebacker Trey Hendrickson is fitting in just fine.When you talk about the lingering questions — and perhaps some of the team’s preseason concerns — the play of the Ravens’ tight ends rises to the surface, particularly because they are expected to be relied on heavily in this new-look offense.Mark Andrews, the veteran leader of the group, has struggled to find space and hold on to the ball when he does, which is notable as the soon-to-be 31-year-old is coming off one of the most challenging seasons of his career. Hibner and Cuevas, fourth- and fifth-round picks, respectively, have mixed promising reps with plays that show just how far they still have to progress with the regular season looming. Smythe’s confidence and worth as a blocker are evident, but he’s neither a field stretcher nor a big-play threat.It remains to be seen whether the Ravens possess a viable complementary pass-catching tight end to Andrews or a reliable blocking complement to Smythe. At least in terms of the former, there have been few big plays and far too many drops or bobbles in camp practices.“I would say nothing is set,” Doyle said Wednesday. “We are still a month away from that first snap against Indianapolis. Over time, roles play themselves out as we continue the installs and introduce different concepts and things and ask guys to be in different spots. Today, you’re watching us do short-yardage, and we’re figuring out who those guys are that we can trust in situations like that. They’re very technical. They’re very specific to defensive structures and jobs that you’re doing. We’re going to ask everyone to do it, take their swing at it, and then we’ll figure it out and reshape from there.“The tight end position — because they really have a role in pass-game protection and the run game — those are a lot of jobs to have to evaluate. I certainly have a vision of utilizing that position, and at the same point in time, who is doing which role kind of sorts itself out over time.”Doyle and the Ravens would prefer that their offense remains a mystery for as long as possible, giving them a potential advantage early in the season. However, Doyle’s history alone suggests that tight ends will be heavily involved. He is a former tight ends coach.As the non-play-calling offensive coordinator in Chicago last year, Doyle was part of an attack that used 12 personnel (one running back, two tight ends and two wide receivers) 36 percent of the time, the third-most in the NFL, per Sharp Football Analysis. The Bears also used three-tight-end sets just over 8 percent of the time, the fifth highest in the NFL.Of course, the Bears also had a tight end room that included Colston Loveland, the 10th overall pick in the 2025 draft; Cole Kmet, a 2020 second-round pick who had 17 touchdowns from 2022 to 2024; and Smythe, another established veteran.The Ravens, meanwhile, are still trying to figure out what they have beyond Andrews and Smythe. Hibner, who played at SMU, was the 10th tight end taken in the draft, and Cuevas, who went to Alabama, was the 16th. They and Smythe are essentially being asked to replace the departed Isaiah Likely, Charlie Kolar and Patrick Ricard, who joined Andrews in forming one of the NFL’s best tight end rooms in recent seasons.“They play fast. They know what to do. They are smart kids. They are wired the right way. They work hard at it. They prepare for practice the right way,” said Ravens tight ends coach Zack Grossi. “I thought that has allowed them to kind of show some of their natural skill sets early on because they are not playing slow. I’m pleased with the way those guys have approached things so far, (but) we have a long way to go.”Asked specifically about what he hopes to see Saturday, Grossi said, “I don’t really think about what I’m hoping to see. We are just trying to be process-driven. What do we have to do that day to get better? What do we have to do for that practice? What’s next? Whatever the next thing is, we give it all of our attention.”Baltimore Ravens Camp: Doyle's scheme, Jackson's superpower and moreRobert MaysThe coaches concede that they are throwing a lot at the rookie tight ends. No. 1, they have to learn a new offense. Then, they have to understand their blocking responsibilities and be able to hold up physically. They have to be able to execute in the passing game, as well. If Hibner and Cuevas are active on game days, they will almost certainly be playing on special teams, so they need to be quick studies in that phase, too.It’s a lot to ask and probably explains why it can take rookie tight ends some time to settle in.“They’re giving us a lot of stuff really quickly, and going from that college offense to NFL offense, it can get pretty overwhelming,” Cuevas said. “Knowing you have somebody there to kind of confide in and be like, ‘You know what, what do we have on this play? Are you sure we have this and that?’ — and then we will go back into the notes that we have taken and really get that cleared up. Having that other person in there along the way, along the journey — it has been awesome.”Hibner and Cuevas are competing against each other, too. Andrews and Smythe will play a lot, and there’s probably room for one of the two rookies to earn a game day role. It seems unlikely that there would be snaps available for both rookie tight ends on game days, unless Hibner and Cuevas both morph into core special-teamers.So essentially, the Ravens really only need contributions from one of the rookies, which is probably why they’ve taken a patient stance and haven’t brought in another veteran. Arguably, the best free-agent fit came off the board earlier this week when Darren Waller, a former Raven, signed with the Carolina Panthers. That leaves a list of available tight ends that includes Jonnu Smith, Will Dissly, Zach Ertz and John FitzPatrick.For now, though, it’s Hibner and Cuevas who will get every opportunity to earn their spot. A strong performance Saturday night would be a significant step.“There is definitely a level up,” Hibner said. “Every play is probably a little bit higher in intensity. There is a lot more athleticism on the field as a whole, but football is football. So, you just try to level up as the game levels up.”