The Baltimore Ravens (2-2) have been rolling on offense thanks to their dominant ground attack between running back Derrick Henry and quarterback Lamar Jackson.
Through four weeks, the two have rushed for a combined 788 yards and seven touchdowns on 121 carries.
However, that has created far fewer opportunities for other players, such as three-time Pro Bowl tight end Mark Andrews.
Andrews has been viewed as a top-five tight end for much of his seven-year NFL career, but the same can’t be said so far this fall.
The 29-year-old has just six catches for 65 yards and zero touchdowns on nine targets through four games.
Following Andrews’ Week 3 performance in which he had zero catches and just one target, he remained confident his time will come to make plays.
“I feel great. I think you saw in the film, you see the way I’m moving. I think I’m doing a lot of things better than I ever have,” Andrews said, via the team’s website. “And, yeah, you know, it’s different. We’ve got a different team, but I still feel incredibly good and fast and strong. And I’m the same player I’ve always been. It’s just balls haven’t come my way.”
But things didn’t change against the Buffalo Bills in Week 4 as he had zero catches on one target once again.
That’s why Jackson made it a point to praise his tight end, who he believes is still playing an important role in the Ravens offense.
“Sometimes you might not get the ball, but we’ve got all these great guys on our offense that’s helping us win games, including Mark,” Jackson said, via Myles Simmons of Pro Football Talk. “Mark is playing a huge role for us just doing what he’s doing — blocking, running routes, running guys out, and finding other guys to be open. He’s just being a team player right now.”
It remains to be seen what Andrews’ exact role will be moving forward, but until opposing defenses can find a way to stop Baltimore’s ground game, it’s unlikely that it will change very much. Backup tight end Isaiah Likely has also been more productive, posting 13 catches for 167 yards and a touchdown.
The Ravens will head to Cincinnati to face the Bengals (1-3) in Week 5.
