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Hayden Hurst

Baltimore's No. 2 TE could be traded

There was a rumor going around yesterday that the Ravens might be looking to trade Hayden Hurst. He's been a fantasy afterthought his first two years in the league, essentially a pass-catching handcuff tight end to starter Mark Andrews. But Hurst could have been -- and could be -- a quality starter.

Hurst was drafted two rounds earlier, recall, and he was running with the first team in his rookie preseason. But he got hurt in an exhibition game, and that opened the door for Andrews to take over that key, heavily-targeted receiving tight end spot in the Ravens offense. (Nick Boyle also plays full-time, but he's primarily a blocker.)

Prior to getting hurt, Hurst was productive two Augusts ago: 3 for 14 with a touchdown in his debut, then 2 more catches before suffering the injury. He was then Wally Pipped to the bench by Andrews, who's been one of the better receiving tight ends the last two seasons, Lamar Jackson's favorite target.

Hurst was a 25-year-old rookie, having been drafted out of high school by baseball's Pirates and spending two years in their organization. He'll be 27 in August.

But it'd be intriguing to see him get an opportunity to start on another team. While Hurst hasn't been heavily used behind Andrews, he's been effective with his limited chances. Last season he caught 77 percent of the passes thrown his way, which is a top-10 rate for tight ends (minimum 20 targets).

TIGHT END CATCH RATES, 2019 (20-PLUS TARGETS)
PlayerTeamTgtNo%YdsAvgTD
Will DisslySEA272385.2%26211.44
Foster MoreauOAK252184.0%1748.35
Ryan GriffinNYJ413482.9%3209.45
Kyle RudolphMIN483981.3%3679.46
Jonnu SmithTEN443579.5%43912.53
George KittleSFO1078579.4%105312.45
Tyler HigbeeLAR896977.5%73410.63
Austin HooperATL977577.3%78710.56
Hayden HurstBAL393076.9%34911.62
Darren WallerOAK1179076.9%114512.73
Irv Smith Jr.MIN473676.6%3118.62
Jason WittenDAL836375.9%5298.44
Blake JarwinDAL413175.6%36511.83
Charles ClayARI241875.0%23713.21
Kaden SmithNYG423173.8%2688.63
Hunter HenryLAC765572.4%65211.95
Nick BoyleBAL433172.1%32110.42
Josh HillNOR352571.4%2269.03
Travis KelceKAN1369771.3%122912.75
Darren FellsHOU483470.8%34110.07
Ben WatsonNWE241770.8%17310.20
James O'ShaughnessyJAX201470.0%15310.92
Jeff HeuermanDEN201470.0%1148.11
Jacob HollisterSEA594169.5%3498.53
Vance McDonaldPIT553869.1%2737.23
Tyler EifertCIN634368.3%43610.13
Ross DwelleySFO221568.2%916.12
Delanie WalkerTEN312167.7%21510.22
C.J. UzomahCIN402767.5%2429.02
Dallas GoedertPHI875866.7%60710.55
Jared CookNOR654366.2%70516.49
Cameron BrateTAM553665.5%3118.64
Jordan AkinsHOU553665.5%41811.62
Mark AndrewsBAL986465.3%85213.310
Zach ErtzPHI1358865.2%91610.46
Jeremy SprinkleWAS402665.0%2419.31
Evan EngramNYG684464.7%46710.63
Rhett EllisonNYG281864.3%1679.31
O.J. HowardTAM533464.2%45913.51
Ricky Seals-JonesCLE221463.6%22916.44
Greg OlsenCAR825263.4%59711.52
Jimmy GrahamGNB603863.3%44711.83
Gerald EverettLAR603761.7%40811.02
Noah FantDEN664060.6%56214.13
Jack DoyleIND724359.7%44810.44
Eric EbronIND523159.6%37512.13
Jesse JamesDET271659.3%1428.90
Anthony FirkserTEN241458.3%20414.61
Trey BurtonCHI241458.3%846.00
Mike GesickiMIA895157.3%57011.25
Logan ThomasDET281657.1%17310.81
Dawson KnoxBUF502856.0%38813.92
Demetrius HarrisCLE271555.6%1499.93
T.J. HockensonDET593254.2%36711.52
Ian ThomasCAR301653.3%1368.51

Some of that figure has to do with the kind of routes players are running, or the accuracy of the quarterback they're playing with; the guys at the bottom of the list aren't necessarily dropping lots of balls. But it can be said that Hurst has done well with his opportunities in Baltimore. Potential for him to be a significant players if he gets more of them somewhere else.

--Andy Richardson

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