While the 2023 NFL season is already underway, most teams will be kicking off their openers today. That includes the Baltimore Ravens, who host the Houston Texans in a 1 PM game, but reports last night indicate that it will not include All-Pro TE Mark Andrews. Or at least, it’s not likely to.
According to a late report last night from Tom Pelissero and Ian Rapoport, Andrews, listed as questionable, “is not likely to play” after struggling the past few weeks with a hamstring injury.
While the Ravens have bolstered their wide receiver room with the first-round selection of Zay Flowers and the signing of veterans Odell Beckham Jr. and Nelson Agholor, not having Andrews would be a major play for their passing game.
And that is reportedly what Baltimore wants to focus on under new offensive coordinator Todd Monken after the team parted ways with Greg Roman. The Ravens have been among the worst teams in the league for the past half-decade in wide receiver production.
The Ravens are 2-2 over the past three seasons in games in which Andrews does not play. He is averaging 69 receiving yards per game over the past two years with 2,208 receiving yards and 14 touchdowns. He has 31 touchdowns since 2019.
An additional concern is the fact that their lead running back, J.K. Dobbins, has hardly worked this year. He stayed away from most team activities leading up to training camp, and then spent most of camp on the Physically Unable to Perform List, so has only gotten a limited amount of practice time in recent weeks.
The Ravens do have Gus Edwards, who has been consistently productive in his secondary role, but has rarely had to play the role of a primary back—not that he would have to, since Dobbins is here, just without having been tested much since last season.
While Andrews may miss today’s game (or may not—we won’t know for sure until 90 minutes before kickoff, and even then it may not be 100 percent certain unless he is made inactive—they do have another tight end with promising abilities in second-year Isaiah Likely.
Aside from having the most unfortunate name in football for puns, he is really a potential weapon if given a larger role. He caught 36 passes as a rookie last season for 373 yards and three touchdowns, in an offense that recorded fewer than 500 pass attempts.
With all that being said, even with a shiny new quarterback in C.J. Stroud, the Texans are not expected to be the fiercest team in the league. Their injuries upfront along the offensive line won’t help them, either. Let’s put it this way: Kendrick Green may be their starting center for the game.
