For Ravens, No Tight End In Sight Before Camp

Ideally, the Ravens want to get away from being specialized because that leads to predictability. That's why they wanted a young, all-around tight end such as Pettigrew. Instead, the new Ravens look a lot like the old Ravens.

There is some hope with the younger players. Jones is big, strong and athletic. His build is similar to that of former Ravens Pro Bowl outside linebacker Adalius Thomas. But so far, Jones has been inconsistent catching the ball. Some days, he looks like the heir apparent. On other days, it's apparent he can't catch.

Drew has been impressive. He's a converted quarterback, but he has a lot going for him. He has good, soft hands and runs crisp routes. The Ravens like his 6-foot-4, 260-pound frame because he can add 15 to 20 pounds, which will only make him bigger and better.

But that's down the road. For now, it's Heap, Smith and Sypniewski, with the emphasis on Heap and Sypniewski because they give the Ravens a total package of a quality receiver and a blocker.

They just have to get healthy. In the meantime, Harbaugh has the task of trying to keep them up to game speed.

"Physically, it's hard because the challenge is executing at full speed in a team setting," Harbaugh said. "That's where you really make your most improvement. But they're doing everything they can do - they're in meetings, they're in individual drills. They're being challenged with Tess [Tessendorf] and all that kind of stuff, so they're doing everything they can."