Baltimore Ravens star tight end Mark Andrews worked diligently to return to the field in time for the AFC Championship showdown with the Kansas City Chiefs after an ankle injury in Week 11 against the Cincinnati Bengals ended his regular season. It was no secret that Andrews was not fully healthy after returning in such a short amount of time. When speaking with the media during training camp, Andrews shared when he finally felt 100 percent again.
“It was probably about March [or] April – about a month after the season ended,” Andrews said. “Yes, I put in some work – stabilization stuff. But it felt incredible. Being able to go out there and run a route; I know what it had felt … We worked really hard right after I got the surgery, because it was a quick turnaround. [With] the pain thresholds and all that stuff, I had to go through a lot, so for me to be able to go through the offseason and go through a training session and feel incredible – be flying around – and have the next day and be able to do it again, that was a great feeling.”
A healthy Andrews will go a long way toward the Ravens’ offense, taking a step forward in Todd Monken’s second year as offensive coordinator. Andrews and third-year tight end Isaiah Likely — who broke out in Andrews’ absence last season — form one of the league’s best duos at the position and give Monken the ability to operate more out of heavier personnel.