Getty
Baltimore Ravens All-Pro TE Mark Andrews is still the NFL’s best in a vital area.
He looks like he’s on the decline after last season’s potentially career-defining playoff miscues, but Mark Andrews is still the best in the NFL in a key area.
That’s according to Doug Farrar of Athlon Sports, who rates the All-Pro tight end for the Baltimore Ravens without equal when running the seam route. This quality is enough for Farrar to call for Andrews not to be remembered for his infamous drop against the Buffalo Bills in the Divisional Round of the postseason.
As Farrar explained, although Andrews “wasn’t exactly a virtuoso with seam routes in the Bills game, few were better at rolling up either seam on vertical routes, especially in the red zone.”
Getting open inside the 20 is “where Andrews set himself apart, with six catches on seven targets for 64 yards and four touchdowns. When Andrews got in position to beat defenders vertically in short spaces, he was the best tight end in the game … which should be remembered as much as what he didn’t do in one postseason game.”
This is a timely endorsement of Andrews’ enduring talents as the 29-year-old gets set for a pivotal season. He’s been touted as a trade candidate, but Andrews still has value for the Ravens, despite the emergence of some young contenders to take his place.
Mark Andrews Still Delivering Where It Counts
The seam route involves a receiver running vertically inside the numbers, something Andrews is still managing to do entering his eighth season in the pros. Some of the finest examples of No. 89 doing what he does best were highlighted by Farrar.
There’s the comeback seam route against the Bills that everyone remembers in a negative sense… but nobody was more dangerous with seam routes in the red zone last season than Mark Andrews. pic.twitter.com/bLUvnX9G1x
— Doug Farrar ✍ (@NFL_DougFarrar) August 21, 2025
What these plays show is Andrews still possesses a quicker-than-you-think takeoff. He’s also subtle enough to add a move or two during the progression of his route, a swivel of the hips, a shuffle of the shoulders, anything to create separation.
The latter is something Andrews was still doing at a high rate during 2024. He gained an average of 1.90 yards of separation from his covering defender, per Player Profiler.
Andrews still knows how to escape coverage at the business end of the field. It’s why he retains the full confidence of franchise quarterback Lamar Jackson, and why Andrews remains a key part of what the Ravens do with their personnel on offense.
He’s likely to stay secure with the Ravens until another player at his position does what he can do in the red zone.
Ravens Have Mark Andrews Succession Plan
The presence of Isaiah Likely and Charlie Kolar means the Ravens are well-equipped to move on from Andrews, at least in theory. It’s a sound theory when Likely is a dynamic, roving weapon, but he isn’t offensive coordinator Todd Monken’s go-to tight end for a popular personnel grouping.
Andrews still holds the advantage in this crucial area and it’s not likely to change with Likely’s absence due to a foot injury and subsequent surgery predicted to change Monken’s scheme.
Likely being on the shelf could create an opportunity for Kolar, who’s a more complete tight end and a logical long-term replacement for Andrews. That would mean the 26-year-old getting onto the field more often and being a consistent force in the passing game.
Kolar could break out this season, but until he does, Jackson and the Ravens will continue to lean on Andrews. Starting with maintaining his efficiency working the seams.
James Dudko covers the New York Giants, Washington Commanders, New England Patriots and Baltimore Ravens for Heavy.com. He has covered the NFL and world soccer since 2011, with bylines at FanSided, Prime Time Sports Talk and Bleacher Report before joining Heavy in 2021. More about James Dudko
More Heavy on Ravens
Loading more stories