The Baltimore Ravens have an interesting situation brewing with Orlando Brown Jr. and speculation of a trade. What about the other player the Ravens drafted in third the 2018 NFL Draft? Can the Ravens commit to Mark Andrews long-term?
Mark Andrews is a player that certainly feels like a core player. The tight end out of Oklahoma has become Lamar Jackson‘s best weapon in the passing game. In a run-heavy offense, Andrews has scored 17 touchdowns in two years.
The Ravens have a high hit rate in the NFL Draft since Eric DeCosta took over the duties as general manager. In 2018 the Ravens found their starting quarterback, a right tackle who has grown into a left tackle caliber talent and a star tight end. That draft also got the Ravens a starting left guard (Bradley Bozeman) and a starting free safety (DeShon Elliott).
In 2019 the Ravens found Marquise Brown. Brown may or may not be a number one receiver, but he’s certainly a playmaker. The 2019 draft class happens to be fairly underwhelming in retrospect, but the first-round pick made an impact. Brown wasn’t a miss, even if D.K. Metcalf or A.J. Brown would have been a bigger hit.
In 2020 the Ravens found the running back of the future in J.K. Dobbins. They found a starting linebacker in Patrick Queen. Malik Harrison chipped in at linebacker, as Devin Duvernay showed promise at receiver. Tyree Phillips had a humbling rookie season but showed promise.
What does this have to do with Andrews? Well, the Ravens are drafting well enough that they have waves of difficult decisions ahead of them. The draft hasn’t gone perfectly for them, but it never does for any team. DeCosta is working the draft efficiently, he’s reloading and retooling at an impressive rate.
Andrews has one more year on his rookie deal. The Ravens have a lot of notable players set to become free agents in 2022. The Ravens will basically have to choose which offensive lineman gets paid in addition to Ronnie Stanley between Orlando Brown Jr. and Bradley Bozeman. Then they’ll have to try to keep Andrews wearing purple and black. That alone creates a challenge for the next offseason.
The Ravens would be wise to invest in a tight end at some point in the 2021 NFL Draft. Not only do the Ravens need three good tight ends with their offense, but they also need a contingency plan. The Ravens found Andrews in the third round, another similar find at the tight end position could be helpful.
The Ravens are in the process of deciding who their core group is in the Lamar Jackson era. Ronnie Stanley and Marlon Humphrey have gotten contract extensions already, so they are surely a part of that elite group. The next Ravens to contend for that kind of status are Brown Jr., Bozeman, and Andrews.
The ideal situation sees the Ravens keeping two of the three. At the moment it looks like Brown Jr. will either be too expensive after the 2021 season or he will be traded before the year even begins. Right now that means that the core player inductees should be Bozeman and Andrews.
The problem is that the Ravens still have to find another core player for the defensive side of the football. Who is going to rush the passer for Baltimore? That’s a serious question. The Ravens either need to buy pass rush or draft it. If the Ravens draft it successfully, that will help DeCosta with the price of Andrews.
Ironing out a long-term deal with Andrews right now would make sense, but Andrews has to get in line. The first player from his draft class getting an extension is going to be the MVP quarterback. The Ravens have a lot to do this offseason and Andrews has one more year of affordability for Baltimore. Don’t expect an extension this offseason.
The franchise tag will be an option heading into the offseason next year. That would be a cap hit over $10 million. There’s going to be no scenario where the Ravens saying goodbye to Andrews is going to be preferable. This is an offense starving for more star power. While Andrews is a bit inconsistent, he’s the biggest star on the offense not named Jackson or Stanley.
The bottom line:
It sounds almost laughable that the Ravens would let one of the best tight ends in the NFL even come close to slipping away. It is however realistic that the Ravens will be worried about that possibility this time in 2022.
One thing for sure is that the 2018 NFL Draft is giving the Ravens good problems to have. Trying to secure three or more players from one year’s draft is an indication that this team is being built the right way. Baltimore can’t keep everybody. While Brown Jr. is the player in the front of our minds, let’s just remember Andrews’s payday isn’t that far away either.