The Baltimore Ravens almost saw Mark Andrews return in the AFC Divisional Round against the Houston Texans. That is a good sign that he may end up being active this week in the AFC Championship. The Ravens can wait until Saturday to decide whether to activate for him the game or not, but if they do, there are plenty of questions about how that would work.
Will the Baltimore Ravens get Mark Andrews back this week?
First, Isaiah Likely has been a pretty good replacement for him. He was third in the team in receiving against the Houston Texans but also added a touchdown catch and impressive play where he stole the ball over the head of the defender.
Likely has been one of the most efficient tight ends in the NFL for the last month or so. Do the Ravens really want to mess with that and take him off of the field? If it is for the high-end version of Mark Andrews, absolutely. However, it will not be that.
Even if Andrews can suit up this week, he will be quite at his old level, and he will be a bit rusty from where he was in the middle of the season. Andrews could be a bit fresher, but it is hard to think that Andrews coming back cold is better than Likely, who is so hot.
So, even if the Baltimore Ravens do activate Mark Andrews this week, the thought has to be that he is playing limited snaps. Charlie Kolar wound up playing over 50% of the snaps last week, 35 total. The Ravens did that as they iced a lead, and they may have more wide receivers in passing situations. Still, Andrews may be a better option than Nelson Agholor or Odell Beckham.
The Ravens could lean into more 12-personnel and play Andrews with Likely. They could also ease Andrews back and only play him on certain passing downs and packages. Do not expect a full game from Andrews, but do not be surprised if he does suit up.