Owen Daniels entered Sunday's season opener against Cincinnati as a question mark.
The veteran tight end had missed two weeks of practice and three preseason games because the Ravens wanted to give his fatigued legs some time to recover. Having the 31-year-old tight end wear down a bit during training camp caused concern, but he showed no signs of fatigue when he took the field Sunday.
Daniels caught four passes for 34 yards, and was an important part of the offense when the Ravens used two tight-end sets.
"It felt good to make plays out there, but the result wasn't what we wanted," Daniels said after the 23-16 loss. "I felt like I was moving around well and I was just trying to do what I had to do to help guys out."
Daniels, a nine-year veteran, was used as the No. 2 tight end behind starter Dennis Pitta. Both tight ends were frequently targeted by quarterback Joe Flacco, as Pitta reeled in 10 catches for 83 yards.
Daniels played 30 of the 83 offensive snaps in the contest, as the Ravens want him to be more of a role player than the top receiving tight end like he was throughout his career in Houston.
"This is a little different being a sub guy and a spell guy, but I felt good out there," Daniels said.
While his snaps were more limited to what he has played in the past, Flacco consistently looked his way when he was on the field. On the final possession of the first half, Flacco connected with Daniels three times during the 65-yard drive. Daniels also had a key first-down catch in the third quarter to set up Baltimore's first touchdown of the game.
The solid debut by Daniels was spoiled by the fact that the Ravens lost the game and the offense took so long to get into a groove, and now Daniels hopes to build off Sunday's performance.
"We have to clean some things up before Thursday night," Daniels said. "It's a quick turnaround, but that's a good thing because you want to get this taste out of your mouth."
