The days of disrespecting Baltimore Ravens players are over. Mark Andrews wasn’t even ranked in the top-five list of tight ends prior to the 2021 season, but he’s made an incredible comeback.
Not that he ever really left.
Andrews currently leads all NFL tight ends in catches, receiving yards, and touchdowns despite playing with three different quarterbacks this year (Lamar Jackson, Tyler Huntley, and Josh Johnson).
It would be one thing if Andrews led the Ravens in those categories (which he does), but to lead the entire league?
Add to the fact that Baltimore isn’t especially known for their dynamic passing game, which is something offensive coordinator Greg Roman has been working on these past few years, and Andrews’ feat is mind-blowing.
The fourth-year tight end has led his position group in yards since 2019, and of all NFL players, Andrews has hauled in the sixth most touchdowns.
https://twitter.com/ravens4dummies/status/1475831847972134919
Ravens tight end Mark Andrews has quietly become the league’s best tight end
The names that rank above him form some of the most dynamic duos in recent history: Davante Adams and Aaron Rodgers, Tyreek Hill and Patrick Mahomes, Cooper Kupp and Matthew Stafford.
If it seems ridiculous that a tight end ranks among those players, it is. But Mark Andrews and Lamar Jackson have been nothing short of exceptional in the past two years.
It certainly helps that the Ravens haven’t been known for their wide receiver room. Only in 2021 has Baltimore found some unity and cohesion in their receiver unit headlined by Marquise Brown, Rashod Bateman, and Sammy Watkins.
Andrews, however, has been Jackson’s constant pass-target ever since they started playing together in 2019, and their undeniable chemistry shows on the stat sheet.
Other tight ends, notably Travis Kelce and George Kittle, could also make a case for being the best, and there was deserved hype for rookie Kyle Pitts heading into his first NFL season.
Still, it would be difficult to name a tight end more crucial to his team’s offensive success than Mark Andrews.
Andrews has been balling out for three years now, and whatever success this Ravens team enjoys in 2021 will depend on his ever-reliable performances.