The Baltimore Ravens have a massive amount of talent up and down their roster that is set to play a key part in their 2022 season. On offense, defense and special teams they can rely on multiple different players to make a positive impact, both now and in the future.
One of those players is quarterback Lamar Jackson, but when predicting each AFC team’s non-quarterback most valuable player candidate for the 2022 season, Kevin Patra of NFL.com named tight end Mark Andrews as his choice for Baltimore. There’s a big likelihood that Andrews could lead the Ravens in receiving, but Patra says there’s a chance he could threaten to lead the entire league.
“Zero tight ends in NFL history have won an NFL MVP award. Z-E-R-O. That makes Andrews perfect for our exercise. LET’S MAKE HISTORY. Andrews led all TEs in receptions (107), receiving yards (1,361), and TDs (nine; tied) in 2021. Among all players, he finished tied for fifth in receptions and sixth in yards. And that was before the Ravens whittled their receiver corps to Rashod Bateman and Riddler-level question marks. Andrews is assured of getting a smorgasbord of targets from Lamar Jackson. Not only has the tight end proven to be a good route runner, but he also can make contested snags in close quarters. Given the uncertainty at receiver in Baltimore, would it be that much of a stunner if Andrews threatened to lead the NFL in receiving?”
Andrews has established himself as one of the premier options at his position. He has grown his game in each of his first four professional seasons, and on top of being one of the elite receiving threats at tight end he’s also become a very solid blocker. All of that combined gives Andrews at least an outside shot to win an MVP award if he has another absolute monster season like he did in 2021.
The former University of Oklahoma star has a bright career ahead of him, and is one of the most important pieces in the Baltimore offense. While an argument could be made that the second-most important piece on the Ravens’ offensive unit outside of Jackson is offensive tackle Ronnie Stanley, Andrews is also certainly in the running for that title as well based off of what he’s been able to do at the highest level.