The Baltimore Ravens watched their tight ends room turn into a money-making machine over the last calendar year. Starter Mark Andrews re-upped with a 3-year, $39 million contract extension in December 2025.
Backup Isaiah Likely signed a 3-year, $40 million free agent contract with the New York Giants in March. Another backup, Charlie Kolar, even got in on the action with a 3-year, $24.3 million contract with the Los Angeles Chargers in March.
It’s Kolar who might actually be the template for what the Ravens want out of 1 of the 2 tight ends the Ravens drafted in 2026, with 6-foot-3, 245-pound Josh Cuevas in the 5th round (No. 173 overall).
Cuevas could be the type of player who plays multiple positions in Baltimore’s offense. To that end, he could help fill the hole left by the departure of NFL All-Pro fullback Patrick Ricard, who also went to the New York Giants in free agency.
“Cuevas’ lack of ideal measurables could push some evaluators to slap him with a fullback label, but ‘combo tight end’ fits best,” NFL draft analyst Lance Zierlein wrote in his pre-draft evaluation. “He attacks blocking assignments with better toughness and technique than most in the class. He squares blocks and strains to sustain whether in-line, from the slot or as a lead blocker. Cuevas pairs burst/route knowledge to compete against man coverage over the first two levels, and is a reliable target in traffic. He’s a well-rounded talent with the demeanor to become a productive pro.”
At the NFL scouting combine, Cuevas ran the 40-yard dash in 4.65 seconds.
Alabama Was 3rd College Stop for Josh Cuevas
The Crimson Tide were the 3rd college team for Cuevas, a Los Angeles native who played his 1st 2 seasons as a walk-on at Cal Poly before spending 1 season at Washington in 2023, before playing for Alabama the last 2 seasons.
In his final 4 college seasons, Cuevas had 115 receptions for 1,471 yards and 12 touchdowns, including 37 receptions for 411 yards and 4 touchdowns in 2025.
“Josh Cuevas offers multi-positional versatility at the tight end position to play in the slot, out wide, and at H-back for an offense,” Bleacher Report’s Daniel Harms wrote. “He’s been a do-it-all player for the Crimson Tide with marked improvement over his two seasons there. A functional blocker from multiple alignments, smooth route-running chops, and special-teams experience give Cuevas a path to an NFL role quickly. Truly a tough competitor, Cuevas broke his foot in November and returned to play in just over a month.”
Cuevas 1 of 2 Rookie Tight Ends for Ravens
The Ravens went with tight ends in consecutive rounds in 2026, drafting SMU’s Matthew Hibner in the 4th round (No. 133 overall) before taking Cuevas 1 round later.
Hibner, 6-foot-4 and 251 pounds, played his 1st 4 college seasons at Michigan, including winning a national title in 2023, before playing the last 2 seasons at SMU.
In 2025, he had career highs across the board with 31 receptions for 436 yards and 4 touchdowns and followed that by running a 4.57-second 40-yard dash at the NFL scouting combine.
“The Ravens wanted Hibner so much that they traded up to get him,” ESPN’s Jamison Hensley wrote. “Baltimore sent its fifth-round pick (No. 154) and a sixth-round selection in 2027 to get back into the fourth round for Hibner, who recorded eight touchdowns over the last two seasons (which ranked second among ACC tight ends).”
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