Baltimore Ravens fans were hoping star tight end Mark Andrews would make his return to the field for Saturday’s divisional-round matchup against the Houston Texans, but Baltimore will not activate him from injured reserve just yet. The team effectively made that official by activating receiver Devin Duvernay and defensive back Ar’Darius Washington off of IR, filling both open roster spots.
Andrews injured his ankle during the Week 11 victory over the Cincinnati Bengals. NFL Media previously reported he suffered a cracked fibula and an ankle ligament injury. It was an issue that was thought to be season-ending, but Andrews has been working hard to make a return in the playoffs. He was officially listed as questionable to play vs. Houston, and was a limited participant in practice on Tuesday, but a full participant on both Wednesday and Thursday. If the Ravens win this weekend, one could imagine Andrews should play in the AFC Championship game.
This season, Andrews caught 45 passes for 544 yards and six touchdowns in 10 games played. Isaiah Likely has noticeably stepped up in Andrews’ place. In the six games following Andrews’ injury, Likely caught 21 passes for 322 yards and five touchdowns.
Ravens head coach John Harbaugh said Andrews’ status was “still up in the air,” earlier this week, but that he was encouraged by his practice participation. Ultimately, the Ravens don’t feel that he’s ready to return yet.