Ravens TE Mark Andrews back at practice, designated for return from injured reserve

The Baltimore Ravens have designated tight end Mark Andrews for a return from Injured Reserve this week. Andrews participated in practice on Friday and he now has a 21-day window to return to the active roster.

Getting the star back at any point in the playoffs would be a boon for Lamar Jackson and the offense. Before his injury, Andrews was Jackson’s top target in the red zone. The duo has 11 red zone touchdown connections over the last two seasons, which ranks third in the league.

The Pro Bowl tight end suffered a fractured fibula and damaged a ligament in his ankle in the mid-November game against Cincinnati. Andrews went down on a hip-drop tackle, which resulted in his lower leg becoming trapped underneath the weight of the tackler as the defender came crashing in.

The former third-round draft pick out of Oklahoma was having a stellar season before injury. He was second on the team in receiving yards behind only wide receiver Zay Flowers who has 564 yards and 10 touchdowns. Andrews also led all tight ends at the time of injury with six touchdowns on 45 receptions with 544 yards.

Alas, Andrews’ injury didn’t derail the Ravens’ path to the playoffs. They went 13-4 and secured the No. 1 seed in the AFC. With the No. 1 seed, they earned a first-round bye, so they won’t be playing this weekend. After Super Wild Card weekend action wraps up, the Ravens will face the winner of the matchup between the Houston Texans and Cleveland Browns.

NFL Wild Card Weekend schedule

The NFL’s Super Wild Card Weekend begins on Saturday and runs through Monday night with six heavy-weight matchups. Here are the matchups and kickoff times for the Wild Card round of the 2023 NFL Playoffs.

NFC
No. 7 Green Bay Packers at No. 2 Dallas Cowboys
Time: Sunday, 4:30 p.m. ET
Channel: FOX
No. 6 Los Angeles Rams at No. 3 Detroit Lions
Time: Sunday, 8:15 p.m. ET
Channel: NBC
No. 5 Philadelphia Eagles at No. 4 Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Time: Monday, 8:00 p.m ET
Channel: ESPN
AFC
No. 7 Pittsburgh Steelers at No. 2 Buffalo Bills
Time: Sunday, 1:00 p.m. ET
Channel: CBS
No. 6 Miami Dolphins at No. 3 Kansas City Chiefs
Time: Saturday, 8:00 p.m. ET
Channel: Peacock (Streaming)
No. 5 Cleveland Browns at No. 4 Houston Texans
Time: Saturday, 4:30 p.m. ET
Channel: NBC