Will Mark Andrews play in Week 1? Ravens rule out starter, put another in doubt

Questionable: TE Mark Andrews

Mark Andrews' status for the upcoming game is more uncertain than it's ever been with the Ravens labeling his game status as "questionable" entering the weekend and fewer than 48 hours from the season opener.

Andrews continued to recover from a quad injury suffered in late August, once more practicing in "limited" capacity on Friday.

The tight end had been a limited participant in practice for three consecutive days before getting labeled "questionable", literally raising questions about his availability for Sunday's matchup.

Head coach John Harbaugh and Andrews were both tight-lipped about whether the star tight end would take the field on Sunday. Harbaugh refrained from providing any definitive information on Andrews' availability, deferring to the official injury report.

Per Ryan Mink of BaltimoreRavens.com, the coach made sure to emphasize the delicate balance between Andrews' eagerness to play and the team's long-term perspective. He acknowledged that the injury report would ultimately determine the course of action, and pointed reporters to it.

"Every week is different in terms of what's at stake, etc. and all that," Harbaugh said. "Guys want to play, and if they're capable of playing, they'll be out there playing."

Andrews' health has mostly been robust during his Ravens career, with the TE missing just five regular-season games in five years.

In the event of Andrews' absence, the Ravens would turn to young tight ends Isaiah Likely and Charlie Kolar, who had shown promise in the 2022 regular-season finale when Andrews was sidelined.

The Texans are surely not a team to fear that much, but not having Andrews would be a bummer and truly hurt the Ravens' offensive upside, even more considering the strong rapport between Lamar and the tight end.