Josh Cuevas is making Mark Andrews' heavy workload harder to defend

The Baltimore Ravens’ tight end room may need to see a slight change. It may not happen this year, but if things keep trending as they are, it’ll happen in the future. While Mark Andrews is struggling, Josh Cuevas has flashed as a real playmaker.

Andrews will remain the starter in 2026 — you’re not benching a player who signed a three-year, $39.3 million contract. However, his heavy workload is hard to defend. The veteran has 4 drops this season and has become a short-yardage security blanket, rather than a vertical threat.

Cuevas, on the other hand, is finding a rhythm. He has at least 2 receptions and 25+ yards in each of the last three games, totaling 8 receptions for 105 yards in that stretch. Declan Doyle is also drawing up plays specifically designed for him.

Hopefully that’s a sign of things to come.

Baltimore Ravens should let Josh Cuevas cut into Mark Andrews’ snap share

In Baltimore’s loss to the Cincinnati Bengals, Pro Football Focus graded Cuevas as the team’s second-best offensive player. It wasn’t a great game — his 66.7 grade is fine, but nothing special. However, both his receptions came for substantial gains.

Cuevas made the first play of the game, taking a quick checkdown upfield for 16 yards. His next catch came in the fourth quarter on a screen pass, which he promptly took for a 19-yard gain. In 2 receptions for 35 yards, he showcased what he can do with the ball in his hands.

He did that in just 15 snaps, too, while Andrews tallied 3 receptions for 23 yards on 38 snaps. None of Andrews' catches went for first downs either.

Looking at that game and what’s happened in recent weeks, the Ravens should contemplate adjusting the snap shares. Cuevas deserves more opportunities, and Andrews is doing very little with his.

Realistically, fellow rookie tight end Matt Hibner is the main guy in Cuevas’ way. The only game where Cuevas saw more than 28 snaps was Week 6, and Hibner missed that matchup with a hand injury. In Week 7, Hibner was back on the field for 26 snaps (39% of offensive reps), pushing Cuevas back down to 15 snaps (22%).

Still, you could make the case for the same amount of Hibner, more Cuevas, and less Andrews.

Hibner and Cuevas can both provide the explosive plays Declan Doyle’s offense is all about. You can see how well each is performing after the catch in the graph below.

This is about Cuevas, though, and he’s right up there. He’s caught 9 of 11 targets for 119 yards and a touchdown so far, and 92 of those yards came after the catch.

That means 77% of his yards come after the catch. In comparison, just 52 of Andrews’ 204 receiving yards are YAC yards, which shakes out to an uninspiring 25%.

Clearly, Cuevas can be a real game-changer in the open field.

The Alabama product’s best play of his rookie campaign came in Week 6 on this beautiful design from Doyle, where he lined up at left guard.

The 23-year-old flashed an impressive catch radius, making an all-out extension to snatch what may have been a slightly overthrown ball before turning on the jets for a 29-yard gain.

Andrews has struggled to make plays like that this year. In fact, when he has to extend outside his frame, those efforts tend to end in drops.

Of course, there’s more to playing tight end than receiving production. Blocking is just as important, especially for a Baltimore offense with Derrick Henry in its backfield. And Cuevas hasn’t been consistent there — he’s had issues hitting his blocks.

Still, Cuevas is doing enough to warrant more snaps. Obviously with how Andrews is blocking this year, he remains an important part of the offense. But Cuevas should earn more passing game reps if the Ravens are serious about finding their footing again.

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