After Mark Andrews suffered a serious ankle in the Baltimore Ravens’ win over the Cincinnati Bengals on Thursday Night Football, it was believed that the Pro Bowl tight end was lost for the season.
But as it turns out, that may not be the case.
Speaking to reporters on Monday, Ravens coach John Harbaugh revealed that Andrews’ injury isn’t as serious as first believed. And as a result, Harbaugh believes that there’s a possibility the 2021 first-team All-Pro selection could return by the end of the 2023 season.
“Nothing is completely definitive yet but my understanding is, in talking with our trainer and the doctors is that it wasn’t as bad as initially feared right after the game,” Harbaugh said. “There is the type of damage that’s done sometimes in that kind of action what happens to the ankle but it wasn’t as bad as it could’ve been. It’s a little cleaner than they thought based on the MRI.”
"It wasn't as bad as initially feared after the game… We'll know more, we'll have to see how that goes. There is some optimism."
Coach Harbaugh on TE Mark Andrews: pic.twitter.com/ODzvBQ5GfC
— Baltimore Ravens (@Ravens) November 20, 2023
While it’s highly unlikely Andrews would be able to return by the end of the regular season, a deep playoff run for Baltimore could leave enough time for the Oklahoma product to make a full recovery.
“There might be an outside chance that he could get back at some point,” Harbaugh said. “We’ll have to see how that goes. I don’t want to say that’s definitive by any stretch but there is some optimism.”
The potential return of Andrews would obviously provide a big boost to the Ravens offense, as the three-time Pro Bowl selection has consistently been one of star quarterback Lamar Jackson’s top weapons. In 10 games this season, the 28-year-old has caught 45 passes for 544 yards and a team-high six receiving touchdowns.
Without Andrews in the lineup, Baltimore is expected to turn to second-year pro Isaiah Likely as its top tight end. The Ravens enter their Week 12 matchup with the Los Angeles Chargers in first place of the AFC North at 8-3.
