NFL rumors: Insider floats Mark Andrews as a Ravens cut candidate

The Baltimore Ravens are currently in the middle of what figures to be a highly important offseason as for the future direction of the franchise. The Ravens are coming off of a brutal playoff loss to the Buffalo Bills in the divisional round this year, a game in which they had several chances to come back but ultimately fell just short.

One of the key figures blamed for the loss was tight end Mark Andrews, who lost a fumble and dropped a seemingly routine two-point conversion catch late that would have tied the game. With the Ravens looking to continue to build their roster this offseason, there is speculation that Andrews could be a candidate for the team to cut in order to shed salary. Recently, NFL insider Dan Graziano shared some insight into this line of thinking.

“These things can be tricky, since you can take a cold, impartial look at Andrews’ age (29) and his contract and say, ‘Yes, of course.’ But that doesn’t always account for the relationship between the player and the team,” reported Graziano.

However, Graziano also noted that “there were stretches this past season when Isaiah Likely appeared to have surpassed him in the passing game hierarchy in Baltimore.”

Still, “there’s a good chance he and the team come up with a way to stay together,” reported Graziano.

A reliable weapon for Lamar Jackson

While it may be easy to forget in the aftermath of his disastrous fourth quarter against the Bills, Mark Andrews has been arguably Lamar Jackson’s most reliable receiving target during his tenure with the Ravens, consistently finding pockets in the defense and also showing a willingness to block when the ball isn’t coming his way.

Still, as Graziano mentioned in his report, Isaiah Likely had a breakout year this past season and the team could theoretically see a reason to try to invest Andrews’ contract money elsewhere if they feel that their tight end position is already solidified for the future.

In any case, the Ravens will now turn their attention to the upcoming NFL Draft, which is slated to begin in late April.