Ravens Mark Andrews aspires to be the best tight end in the league
The Baltimore Ravens had a plethora of players break out in a big way last season and establish themselves among the elite at their respective positions. They sent a league and franchise-record 13 players to the Pro Bowl and tied the record for the most voted to the All-Star roster with 12. Quarterback Lamar Jackson grabbed most of the national headlines in just his second season and first as the fulltime starter by using his electrifying dual-threat skillset to win league MVP and lead the team to a second straight division title, a league-best 14-2 regular-season record and the No.1 overall seed in the AFC.
Jackson’s favorite and most trusted target in the passing game last season was tight end Mark Andrews who was among the aforementioned break out stars. In just his second season in the league, he led the team in targets (98), receptions (64), receiving yards (852), and touchdowns. His 10 touchdowns catches were not only the most on the Ravens, but it was also the most by any tight end in the league last year. Only three tight ends recorded more yards than him and only six had more receptions.
Andrews established himself as one of the premier pass-catching tight ends in the league last year, but entering his third season, he has his sights set much higher. He sees plenty of room for improvement and refinement to his game, especially from a blocking standpoint which would help him become a more complete player at the position.
“There’s a lot of room for me to improve,” Andrews said. “Looking back this offseason, had a ton of time to think and watch film, really work on my body to get to that next level. I want to be the best tight end. I’m not there yet. I’m excited to be able to show what I can do this year.
With gifted players like Travis Kelce of the Kansas City Chiefs, George Kittle of the San Francisco 49ers, Zach Ertz of the Philadelphia Eagles, Rob Gronkowski of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Austin Hooper of the Cleveland Browns, Darren Waller of the Las Vegas Raiders, Hunter Henry of the Los Angeles Chargers and more coming up through the pipeline, separating from the pack won’t be easy.
“I think blocking (is) got to be a huge thing for me, where I’ve got to improve. I’m going to make big strides in that area this year and have a lot more opportunities to do that this year. And continue to work as a receiving guy. That’s my bread and butter, but I always want to get better than that. I want to be dangerous in all situations.”
Even though he has been focused on improving his blocking ability, Andrews could be instore for an even larger role as a pass catcher in the Ravens’ offense this year. The team traded away his close friend and fellow 2018 draftmate Hayden Hurst to the Atlanta Falcons during the offseason and with no clear cut or proven replacement for him for the third tight end spot the depth chart, that leaves 457 offensive snaps to be divided between him and blocking specialist/underrated pass catcher Nick Boyle.
The title of the league’s best tight end is currently an ongoing debate between Kittle and Kelce, both of which played in the Superbowl this past season. While Andrews wants his name to be mentioned in the same conversation as those two titans of the position, he first and foremost wants to help his team reach championship game achieve the ultimate goal above all of his individual aspirations.
“I’m a team guy, I want to win a Super Bowl,” Andrews said. “That’s the most important thing for me.”
