The NFL offseason is a variety of issues, relying on the group. For the Ravens, it’s been a curler coaster.
There had been notable departures (left guard Ben Powers, defensive finish Calais Campbell), vital additions (broad receiver Odell Beckham Jr., offensive coordinator Todd Monken) and, after all, the drama that swirled round Lamar Jackson and the group earlier than they got here to phrases on a five-year contract extension that reportedly makes him the league’s highest-paid quarterback per 12 months.
Then there’s Mark Andrews.
Amid all of the ups and downs Baltimore has endured — not simply prior to now 5 months, however prior to now 5 years — the steadiest affect has been the tight finish it chosen out of Oklahoma within the third spherical of the 2018 draft. Andrews has practically accomplished all of it in his profession. He was named an All-Pro in 2021 after a 107-catch, 1,361-yard, nine-touchdown season. He’s led the Ravens in targets, catches and receiving yards in three of the previous 4 seasons. He’s been chosen to the Pro Bowl thrice. What he hasn’t accomplished? Win, and even get to, a Super Bowl.
“I’m extremely, extremely driven right now,” Andrews stated final week.
He is making use of that very same degree of enthusiasm to what needs to be the very best assortment of move catchers round him since he entered the league.
In addition to Beckham, the Ravens bolstered their beforehand lackluster broad receiver group through the use of a first-round decide on speedster Zay Flowers and signing veteran Nelson Agholor. Promising third-year receiver Rashod Bateman can be again after season-ending foot surgical procedure, whereas 25-year-old Devin Duvernay and 23-year-old tight finish Isaiah Likely needs to be significant contributors as nicely.
All that expertise ought to assist the Ravens keep away from ending final within the NFL in yards by broad receivers, as they did final season. It might additionally imply fewer double groups for the 6-foot-5, 247-pound Andrews, who regardless of the additional consideration from defenses was once more one of many recreation’s greatest on the place in 2022.
“I think it’s going to be a dangerous offense,” Andrews, 27, stated. “I’ve really loved what Coach Monken has had to teach and the way he’s teaching and his energy that he brings — very enthusiastic. So, I think the sky is the limit. For us, it’s just about taking charge, taking control of this offense, making it ours and just keep on going, keep on working.”
Last 12 months, Andrews once more did the lion’s share of the work.
His 73 catches, 847 yards and 5 touchdowns had been all group highs. His 79.4 receiving and 70.1 run-blocking grades from Pro Football Focus additionally made him the one tight finish to eclipse 70 in each. He additionally ranked second amongst tight ends with a median of 1.92 yards per route run, a measure of receiving effectivity, whereas his 28 explosive performs (catches gaining 15 or extra yards) tied for second-most on the place with the San Francisco 49ers’ George Kittle.
Yet, as Monken famous earlier this offseason, there’s nonetheless “only one ball.”
What will that imply for Andrews’ manufacturing?
“I don’t really care,” the tight finish stated. “I know that if all of us are doing our jobs, all of us are playing well, we don’t have to worry about that type of thing.”
It’s additionally not as if Jackson goes to cease throwing to Andrews simply because different gamers will command the ball.
Both arrived in Baltimore 5 years in the past, and so they have developed a robust chemistry since. The majority of Jackson’s 326 move makes an attempt final season had been over the center and within the quick or intermediate vary, which is, after all, the place Andrews did most of his injury. The Ravens have additionally lined up Andrews, who performed broad receiver in highschool, all around the discipline due to his versatility.
That’s not altering.
“He’s just deceptively fast,” linebacker Patrick Queen stated. “You look at him on film and you don’t think he’s that fast. But when you get into him in person, Mark can roll. His routes, [he has the] best routes out of the tight end group. He’s everything that you want in a tight end. He’s reliable, great hands, can run routes, big guy. He can go up and get the ball. He does it all. When you have a guy like that, that’s why he got paid what he got.”
That four-year extension, signed in 2021, was price $56 million, making him the third-highest-paid participant at his place on the time. (He’s now fifth, in keeping with Over The Cap.)
Yet, the Ravens have but to achieve the Super Bowl, or an AFC championship recreation, throughout Andrews’ tenure, one thing the star is keenly conscious of.
“I want to win a Super Bowl — that’s No. 1,” he stated. “This city, this place, this organization deserves that. We put a lot of work in. I think about the guys that were drafted in my 2018 draft class, and it feels like, kind of, what we started, what we built, and it’s time. It’s time.”
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Source: www.bostonherald.com