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[Baltimore Ravens]

Is Mark Andrews entering a make-or-break season?

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After catching 11 touchdowns in 2024, some analysts believe Mark Andrews could still be entering a make-or-break season with the Ravens.

When Mark Andrews began the 2024 season by going scoreless through the first five games of the season, many wondered if the standout tight end was about to experience a major regression at age 29. However, once he found the end zone for the first time, Andrews turned into a snowball that just kept on rolling through the final game of the season.

Andrews finished the 2024 season with a career-high 11 touchdowns, including scoring in each of the team’s final six regular season games. At the same time, his 673 receiving yards were the third-lowest in his career and the lowest mark when starting a minimum of 10 games.

The drop in the playoff loss to the Bills was unfortunately the lasting image in the minds of the fan base heading into the offseason and it eventually led to an offseason that held questions of Andrews’ future in Baltimore. Trade rumors were sparked and made headlines at one point but nothing tangible came from them in the end.

Now, as mandatory minicamp gets underway, analysts are still debating Andrews and his future. That’s why he was named as one of 17 players considered to be entering a make-or-break season in 2025 by NFL.com’s Nick Shook.

Here’s what Shook had to say:

“With Andrews entering the final year of his contract after surviving an offseason of uncertainty, now is the time for the 29-year-old to give the team overwhelming evidence that it should retain him beyond 2025. From a roster-building perspective, it might make more sense for Baltimore to invest in younger TE Isaiah Likely, whom head coach John Harbaugh is expecting big things from in 2025. But Andrews has held an important place in this era of Ravens football. A monster season — capped, perhaps, by some clutch postseason plays a year after his meltdown contributed to the team’s playoff exit — would help his cause. A strong campaign will fetch quality offers elsewhere, too, but if Andrews wants to spend his entire career in Baltimore, he could make that a reality by crushing it in 2025.”

So maybe I’m of the minority here but I don’t think Andrews’ 2024 season was anywhere near as bad, as a whole, as analysts are trying to make it seem. His yardage/touchdown combination was just fine for a good tight end playing in an offense that runs through it’s elite dual-threat quarterback in Lamar Jackson and Derrick Henry, arguably the best running back of the past half a decade. As long as Henry is on this team, the Ravens should be more than happy with seasons just like Andrews’ 2024.

When it comes down to it, do not agree that this is a make-or-break season. I don’t know what the Ravens think they could get out of Likely that Andrews is not already giving them and the idea that he’d be trade bait once again a year from now doesn’t sit well with me. Elite tight ends do NOT grow on trees and the Ravens would be wise to understand that instead of moving on from a guy who hasn’t truly shown any signs of slowing down even as he nears 30-years old.

Source: https://www.baltimorebeatdown.com/2...-andrews-lamar-jackson-derrick-henry-minicamp

 

[Baltimore Ravens]

Ravens triplets — both offense and defense — rank among the NFL’s elite

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The Ravens’ trios on offense and defense are — or among — the NFL’s elite.

The Ravens’ enter the 2025 season chock-full of talent. Their star-studded cast spans from on both the offensive and defensive sides of the ball.

Offensively, they take the No. 1 spot in Sports Illustrated’s Matt Verderame’s offensive triplets rankings.

Triplets: QB Lamar Jackson, RB Derrick Henry, WR Zay Flowers

“No team has a better trio than the Ravens. Jackson is a two-time MVP and three-time first-team All-Pro, while Henry is coming off a second-team All-Pro campaign with more than 2,000 yards from scrimmage,” Verderame wrote. “In Flowers, Baltimore has a top-end target with 1,059 receiving yards and four touchdowns last season.”

The Ravens’ offense is a juggernaut, led by the best quarterback in the NFL at his prime. Standing behind or beside him is Henry, who has demolished defenses and thus far outran Father Time. And most impressively, is a worthwhile debate on which player should be considered No. 3 in the triplets. Yes, Flowers topped the team with targets (116), receptions (74) and yards (1,059), but the likes of Mark Andrews is a fair mention. He finished the season with 673 yards and 11 touchdowns, tying him for fourth in receiving touchdowns last season.

Also a fair mention is wide receiver Rashod Bateman, who more frequently faced the opposing defenses No. 1 defender on the outside, yet finished with 756 yards and nine receiving touchdowns, tying him for ninth.

Defensively, Sports Illustrated’s Gilberto Manzano ranked the Ravens No. 2, behind the Philadelphia Eagles.

Triplets: DL Nnamdi Madubuike, ILB Roquan Smith, S Kyle Hamilton

“Smith and Hamilton remain two of the best at their respective positions. Madubuike dropped off a bit from his breakout 2023 season, but his presence in the middle of the defensive line provided favorable matchups for his teammates. All three were named to the Pro Bowl last year, with Smith and Hamilton making All-Pro teams.”

The guidelines to Manzano’s rankings featured a pass rusher, inside linebacker and defensive back. Which excluded the possibility of keeping cornerback Marlon Humphrey to possibly bolster the Ravens to the No. 1 spot.

Source: https://www.baltimorebeatdown.com/2...offense-and-defense-rank-among-the-nfls-elite

 

[Baltimore Ravens]

Chris Simms ranks Lamar Jackson the No. 1 QB: ‘Nobody’s playing quarterback better’

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Lamar Jackson tops NBC Sports’ Chris Simms quarterback rankings.

Though NBC Sports’ Chris Simms has been a frequent supporter of Lamar Jackson, he has failed to rank him among his top three quarterbacks in annual rankings. That was until this season, where Jackson topped Simms’ list.

“Nobody’s playing quarterback right now better than Lamar Jackson,” Simms said. “He’s conquered something that I’ve only seen a few people conquer in my whole life with his skillset. Arguably the greatest running quarterback in the history of the game, he has become unreal in the pocket [with] making decisions throwing the football.”

Jackson’s edged out Buffalo Bills’ QB Josh Allen for the No. 1 spot, and Simms explained why he placed Jackson at No. 1, even though he voted for Allen for MVP.

“[The] Ravens were awesome. [Jackson] had a really good team. He had a better support system around him,” Simms said. “He didn’t always have to make magic happen on a week-to-week basis like a Josh Allen did... so that’s why I gave Josh Allen the MVP. But that doesn’t mean [Allen] played as good a quarterback play on a week-to-week basis. Lamar Jackson is out of this world. I mean out of this world.”

Simms then admitted he is questioning his MVP vote for the 2024 season.

“He’s one of those where I go back and watch and I go, ‘I don’t know, did I make the right vote?’ I’m not sure. I mean, seriously, it’s that. I mean, 41 [touchdowns] and four [interceptions]? 4,000 yards passing, 900 yards [rushing], I mean, what do you want to say? It’s incredible. And it’s through all facets of how you could do it.”

It sure sounds like Simms knew he made the wrong choice for MVP but his self-admitted fascination for “moments” and crediting the Ravens’ offense being better gave Allen the edge for him.

Source: https://www.baltimorebeatdown.com/2...he-no-1-qb-nobodys-playing-quarterback-better

 

[Baltimore Ravens]

Ravens duo land on 2025 All-Paid Team of Tomorrow

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Lamar Jackson and Mark Andrews are both next in line to receive big paydays amongst their respective position groups.

The Ravens have been one of the most-successful teams of the past decade and there’s no one in the building that wants to see that change anytime soon. To make that happen, the good players have to keep getting paid, and paid, and paid.

Coming up shortly, Baltimore will potentially have two stars in line for massive pay days. One is quarterback Lamar Jackson and this one is the most no-brainer decision they could possibly have. But the other is tight end Mark Andrews who is coming off a season that — while he did hit a career-high 11 touchdown catches — his year will mainly be remembered by a dropped touchdown pass in the playoff loss to the Bills.

Still, Andrews is one of the best tight ends in the league and those absolutely do not grow on trees. So will the Ravens end up paying him next offseason? Only time will tell.

But if you all want some rough numbers on what their next deals could look like for the Ravens, NFL.com senior researcher Anthony Holzman-Escareno put together a brand new All-Paid Team of Tomorrow, focusing on all of the top players at each position who could and should be next in line to reset the market.

When it comes to Jackson, Holzman-Escareno projects his next contract to reach upwards of $65 million per year. That type of money would beat out Josh Allen’s recent extension ($60million/yea) by $5 million. That’s quite the jump, but if the salary cap follows the same upwards trajectory as it did this offseason, the money should be there.

Here’s a little of what Holzman-Escareno had to say about Jackson and his placement at the top of the quarterback position:

“It seems so long ago that the Ravens placed the non-exclusive franchise tag on Jackson. Any team could have signed him to an offer sheet and, if the Ravens didn’t match it, said team could have acquired his services in exchange for two first-round picks. Not one organization put forth a bid. Instead, Jackson represented himself and signed a five-year, $260 million extension with the Ravens in April 2023, setting an NFL record at the time.”

“Jackson promptly won his second NFL MVP award in 2023, then turned in the best year of his career in 2024, becoming the first player in NFL history to lead the NFL in both pass yards per attempt (8.8) and yards per carry (6.6) in the same season (minimum 125 carries). Jackson’s obvious game-changing ability on the ground — he’s already the all-time leading rusher among quarterbacks, with 6,173 rushing yards — can overshadow his passing prowess.”

“Jackson still has three years remaining on his current contract, but with a cap hit that will reach $74.5 million in 2026, an extension to bring that number down seems likely. Odds are Jackson will be the quarterback to dethrone Dak Prescott ($60 million APY) on the top of the NFL salary scale. His first long-term deal made him the highest-paid player in NFL history at the time of its signing. His next one will do the same again.”

As for Andrews, Holzman-Escareno put things into perspective. Regardless of his final catch attempt of the 2024 season, Andrews did some amazing things last year. Whether he ends up staying with the Ravens for the latter part of his career or not, some team is going to pay him a lot of money to be their TE1.

“The focus will be on his nightmarish game against the Bills in the playoffs, which is understandable, but Andrews quietly had an efficient and productive 2024 season leading up to that day.”

“He returned to play in every game after missing seven contests in 2023. After not scoring in the first five weeks of the season, Andrews led all tight ends with a career-high 11 receiving touchdowns. From Weeks 6-18, the only player with more TD grabs than Andrews was Ja’Marr Chase, with 12. Andrews’ production did decline in some categories, which can largely be attributed to his role in the Baltimore offense. Andrews commanded just 4.1 targets per game, his first time finishing with fewer than six per game since his rookie season. He caught 55 of his 69 targets (79.7%) and averaged nearly 10 yards per target, his most since first becoming a Pro Bowler in 2019.”

“Entering the final season of a four-year, $56 million extension he signed in 2021, Andrews returns with a contract to play for and something to prove. If Andrews can put together a good season, he could be able to challenge George Kittle’s position-leading $19.1 million APY. If it happens, I would expect it to be on a shorter-term deal.”

So what do you all think of Jackson and Andrews being included on this team? Is Jackson going to be that next big quarterback deal to get done? What about Andrews? Do you foresee any other tight end pushing for a new deal before him? Let us know all of your thoughts in the comments below!

Source: https://www.baltimorebeatdown.com/2...amar-jackson-mark-andrews-contract-extensions

 

[Baltimore Ravens]

Which player will lead the Ravens in receiving yards in 2025?

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The Ravens have a talented group of pass catchers

The Baltimore Ravens enter the 2025 NFL season with the most talented group of pass catchers in the Lamar Jackson era. Zay Flowers, Rashod Bateman, and DeAndre Hopkins lead the way at wide receiver while Mark Andrews and Isaiah Likely form the best tight end duo in the league.

Andrews was Jackson's go-to target for most of his career, but Likely has given him some competition in that regard. Flowers became the first receiver to cross 1,000 receiving yards in a season for Baltimore since Marquise “Hollywood” Brown in 2021, while Bateman developed into a big-play threat and monster in the red zone last season with nine touchdowns.

Today’s Question of the Day is:

Which player will lead the Ravens in receiving yards in 2025?​

My answer: Zay Flowers

I predict the third-year receiver will repeat as the receiving yards leader. With 1,059 receiving yards in 2024, Flowers finished with over 300 more yards than the runner-up. It may be hard for Flowers to crack 1,000 yards again this season with so many viable options for Jackson to target through the air, but I still predict he will get the most schemed touches of any of the wide receivers while remaining a consistently reliable option for Jackson on extended scramble plays. Flowers’ after-the-catch ability is second to none on the team as well.

Which player do you think will lead the Ravens in receiving yards? Scroll down to the comment section and let us know!

Source: https://www.baltimorebeatdown.com/2...-2025-zay-flowers-rashod-bateman-mark-andrews

 

[Baltimore Ravens]

Do the Ravens have a Thurman Thomas/Barry Sanders problem at tight end?

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When you have the greatest in franchise history as your starter, it’s hard pivoting to the younger player who may be greater.

One of my favorite stories in the history of football is the Bedlam Series of 1987. The Oklahoma State Cowboys are facing the Oklahoma Sooners.

“It was my senior year. We were getting ready to play the University of Oklahoma,” Cowboys running back Thurman Thomas said in an interview on A Football Life: Barry Sanders. “And Barry Switzer, who is the head coach at the University of Oklahoma said, ‘Whatever you do: Don’t. Hurt. Thurman.’ And I was like, ‘Oh, okay.’”

“They all looked at me like I was crazy,” Switzer said. “And I said, ‘You don’t want to play against this freshman back that they have named Barry Sanders.’ Well, they’d never heard of Barry Sanders. And I said, ‘We have a tough enough time with Thurman, but you won’t even touch this kid.’”

Thomas finished his college career with 4,596 rushing yards, 551 receiving yards and 43 total touchdowns. He would go on to become a Hall of Fame running back, collecting 12,074 rushing yards, 88 total touchdowns, five Pro Bowls, two First-Team All-Pros and win the 1991 MVP.

Yet, the backup was greater. Sanders proved it the next season with the Cowboys, rushing for 2,628 yards and 37 touchdowns in an 11-game season. At the NFL level, he rushed for 15,269 yards and 99 touchdowns, earned 10 Pro Bowls, five First-Team All-Pros and the 1997 MVP.

Which brings us to the potential problem in the Baltimore Ravens’ tight end room.

The Ravens have one of the NFL’s best tight ends in Mark Andrews. He’s second in receiving yards in franchise history with 5,530 yards, 248 yards from breaking the record. He holds the franchise record for most touchdowns and receiving touchdowns. A three-time Pro Bowler and one-time First-Team All-Pro. And yet, there’s a possibility their second tight end, Isaiah Likely, could be better.

Is this on par with Thomas/Sanders? No. But the similarities are there. Andrews is undeniably a dominant player. And yet, there’s potential for Likely to be greater.

This offseason, there was potential of the Ravens trading Andrews. During the NFL Owners Meetings, Ravens General Manager Eric DeCosta was non-committal about retaining Andrews.

“I never know what’s going to happen,” DeCosta said. “I never want to say this or that. But I can tell you this: Mark Andrews is a warrior and he’s played his butt off for us and his competitiveness and his talent, his attitude, his leadership is so valued here and he’s a great player. And I think we’re in the business of keeping as many great players as we can. So, there’s always a lot of unpredictability with the draft. You just never know.”

The issue was a combination of Andrews’ sizable cap hit of $16.9 million and having two quality backups in Likely and Charlie Kolar. Ultimately, the Ravens retained Andrews and now all three are heading into their contract year.

Like Andrews, Likely is a challenging player to defend. First-round safety Malaki Starks named Likely the toughest player he’s had to defend thus far.

“Isaiah, I had a rep against Isaiah the other day, and he is a lot quicker than what he looks on TV and in person,” Starks said.

A benefit for the Ravens is they have both. and unlike running backs, you can include more than one tight end on the field as threats. It’s on the Ravens coaching staff and quarterback Lamar Jackson to utilize both marquee players.

Source: https://www.baltimorebeatdown.com/2...man-thomas-barry-sanders-problem-at-tight-end