Who Should I Start? Mark Andrews or AJ Barner

Saturday, September 12, 12:11 AM

Baltimore Ravens tight end Mark Andrews looks to bounce back this season, and his campaign starts in Indianapolis against the Colts in Week 1. Andrews is entering the first year of his three-year, $39.3 million contract extension signed in December and is leading a rebuilt tight end room. Veteran Durham Smythe joined in the offseason, and rookies Matt Hibner and Josh Cuevas each made strong showings during the preseason. Smythe is expected to handle much of the blocking work, while the younger tight ends will develop over the course of the season. Andrews is coming off one of his worst career years, in terms of efficiency, but he had a promising camp and looks healthy heading into his ninth season with the Ravens. Last year, Andrews had a career-low 422 total yards, despite playing all 17 games, and averaged just 24.8 receiving yards per game. He also had career lows in several advanced metrics, including yards per reception (8.8), receiving EPA (-9.2), air yards per target (7.8), and yards after catch over expected (-23). However, the Colts defense was in the bottom ten against tight ends in 2025, allowing an average of 12.6 points to the position. Andrews should fall right behind wide receiver Zay Flowers in targets on Sunday. Most importantly, the veteran tight end has established trust with quarterback Lamar Jackson, especially in the red zone, which probably makes him a low-end TE1 going into Week 1.