Baltimore’s new franchise leader in touchdowns known for no-nonsense style

By Jeff Zrebiec / The Athletic

The time to engage Mark Andrews is early in the week. It’s a known fact around the Baltimore Ravens’ facility in Owings Mills, Maryland.

The closer it gets to game day, the less inclined Andrews, a 29-year-old tight end, is to small talk. His penetrating gaze and no-nonsense demeanor send a clear message: there is a game to prepare for and distractions are unwelcome.

“Mark is just an intense guy,” said Isaiah Likely, a fellow Ravens commit.

His teammates are in awe of, and often amused by, Andrews’ unwavering intensity. Some, including safety Kyle Hamilton, watch how he approaches practices and meets and try to emulate him. Baltimore’s players and coaches see him as the quintessential Raven, someone whose personality and style of play reflect the franchise he has represented for seven years.

“It couldn’t be said better: I was born to be a Raven,” Andrews said recently. “The way we like to play football here, the style we play, there is no place in the world I would rather be. I just want to keep winning games for this team and start moving forward.”

Two weekends ago, Andrews caught a 13-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Lamar Jackson, the first points in the Ravens’ 35-14 rout of the New York Giants in East Rutherford, New Jersey. It was the 48th touchdown of Andrews’ career; he passed Jamal Lewis, a running back, to set a franchise record.

Andrews sprinted towards Jackson and the two celebrated with a jumping chest bump. It was a fitting gesture between two players who were part of the Ravens’ prolific 2018 draft class and who developed instant chemistry. There is a simple understanding between them that transcends X’s and O’s.

“Just open,” Jackson tells Andrews.

How and where depends on what Andrews, who caught another touchdown pass from Jackson in the Ravens’ 34-17 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday, sees on the play. They trust that they know what the other guy is thinking and doing. Improvisation is their superpower.

Sometimes Andrews doesn’t even have to get open to get the ball. Against Philadelphia in Week 13, Jackson threw to Andrews when he was surrounded by three Eagles defenders in the end zone. The 14-yard touchdown throw had an 18.1% completion probability, according to the NFL’s Next Gen Stats. Andrews caught it anyway.

“Mark,” Jackson said, “is that guy.”

For most of seven seasons, Andrews has been Jackson’s target, the player he looks for on third downs, in the red zone or when the quarterback is in trouble. Andrews is a three-time Pro Bowler, but he’s probably been under the radar nationally. Such is life when Travis Kelce, one of the best pass-catching tight ends in NFL history, plays for an AFC rival, the Kansas City Chiefs.

Only Kelce has more receptions among tight ends than Andrews since the 2019 season. Only Kelce and San Francisco’s George Kittle have more receiving yards. However, Andrews has the most touchdowns during that time.

Andrews is one of the most prolific pass catchers and playmakers in Ravens history. Entering this past weekend’s games, he ranked first in receiving touchdowns (48) and third behind Derrick Mason and Todd Heap in receptions (426) and receiving yards (5,371).

Playing one of the game’s most demanding positions, Andrews hadn’t missed much time before breaking his fibula and suffering ligament damage in his ankle in a Week 11 game against the Cincinnati Bengals last year. He missed Baltimore’s final six regular-season games and the divisional-round playoff win over Houston before returning for the AFC championship game loss to the Chiefs.

Otherwise, Andrews has been durable, consistent and productive since arriving on the scene as a third-round pick. (The Ravens drafted another tight end, Hayden Hurst, now with the Los Angeles Chargers, in the first round that year.)

“Just one of a kind,” Ravens coach John Harbaugh said. “He’s nicknamed Man-drews for a reason, because that’s what he brings. He’s a ball all the time. You can just tell he’s thinking about driving home, driving to work, probably while he’s sleeping. He must be dreaming about it. That’s really who he is.”

Friendly and relaxed off the field, Andrews becomes a different person when he steps into the Ravens’ facility. The intensity rises even more when the Ravens hit the practice field.

Andrews has yelled at defenders, slammed his helmet and flipped off a referee — all during one training camp. He’s practicing at full speed and treating July practices like he was an undrafted free agent trying to make the team.

“You’ll never take that fire away from Mark,” Likely said. “I feel like that’s what gets him going. That’s what gets the offense going.”

The Ravens’ decision makers have talked about giving Andrews occasional practice or at least limiting his reps. Andrews is not interested.

“An elite competitor,” offensive coordinator Todd Monken said. “I think that’s the best way to say it. Football is important to him. Everything we do is important to him – meetings are important to him, his body is important to him, how he plays. He’s a top-level competitor — one of the best competitors I’ve ever been around.”

Teammates joke with him, try to make him laugh and lighten up. Andrews is not humorless. He’s an extremely popular teammate, but it’s hard to relax.

“I take it very seriously,” Andrews said. “There’s always room for improvement. There’s nothing like being out there playing football with the guys. If you don’t get the right look in practice, if you don’t feel good, if you don’t feel quite right, I think that is difficult to play well.”

This has not been the easiest season for Andrews. A leg injury from training camp has persisted. He was in a car accident near the Ravens’ facility on Aug. 14 that he felt could have been fatal had he not been wearing a seat belt.

In the first four games of the season, he had just six catches (on nine targets) for 65 yards. He was held without a catch in back-to-back matches for the first time in his career. The questions began.

There was even some talk, at least outside the building, of the Ravens trading Andrews to show Likely and Charlie Kolar more. That there was even that discussion still upsets Jackson.

“I didn’t forget it, and I know he didn’t forget it, and he just shows it every single game,” Jackson said two weekends ago.

Andrews acknowledged that there was a time in his career when the criticism and questions might have bothered him. But he overcame the slow start to the year by staying positive. It has paid off.

Over the last 10 games since enduring back-to-back no-catch contests, he has eight touchdowns. He’s also averaging just under 45 receiving yards per game. match. He doesn’t get the amount of targets he has in the past, but the Ravens have the top-ranked offense in football. They’ve also had the best red zone offense in football, due in part to Andrews’ exploits.

Andrews was recently asked what inspired his efforts and attention to detail. He offered a quick response.

“I like to compete and I love this game,” he said. “I’ve always wanted to be the best at my position. I’ve always wanted to be the best version of myself. I know how good I can be. I feel like I’m just scratching the surface. I’m always trying to get there and get better. And I want to win a Super Bowl.”