In Sunday’s win over the Tennessee Titans, Baltimore Ravens’ tight end Durham Smythe suffered an achilles injury after 18 offensive snaps and did not return. Smythe was visibly limping and struggled to get to the sideline under his own power, prompting fears of a torn Achilles.
Unfortunately, those fears have proven to be accurate. According to NFL Insider Ian Rapoport, MRI results confirmed that Smythe did in fact tear his Achilles and will miss the remainder of the season.
Smythe, 31, was signed to a one-year deal this offseason to fill a depth tight end role after the Ravens lost multiple players at the position in free agency. Smythe came from Chicago and was a natural fit in Declan Doyle’s offense given his experience in the system. The nine-year veteran had played over 100 offensive snaps for the Ravens this season prior to Week 4, serving as a versatile blocker.
While Smythe was not a receiving factor for the Ravens, his blocking specialty and snap share will have to be backfilled. Rookie tight ends Matthew Hibner and Josh Cuevas are likely to take on bigger roles now behind Mark Andrews. Hibner and Cuevas have each flashed receiving upside through four games but will need to quickly mature as blockers in the run game and pass protection. The Ravens may look to acquire another free agent veteran or make a trade, as well, to further supplement the tight end room.
Smythe was one of several injured players the Ravens lost in Week 4, which includes Lamar Jackson, Marlon Humphrey and Andrew Vorhees. This comes just a week after centers Jovaughn Gwyn and Ethan Pocic were placed on injured reserve, and Trey Hendrickson suffered a finger injury that kept him sidelined on Sunday.
These mounting injuries will continue to challenge Jesse Minter’s roster in the coming weeks.
