John Harbaugh reveals Mark Andrews injury ‘wasn’t as bad as initially feared’

The Baltimore Ravens may not have to be without their top pass catcher for the remainder of the season after further tests and evaluation revealed that three-time Pro Bowl Mark Andrews’ serious ankle injury he suffered in Week 11 may not be a season-ender, according to Head Coach John Harbaugh.

“Nothing is completely definitive yet but my understanding is in talking with our trainer and the doctors is that it wasn’t as bad as initially feared right after the game,” Harbaugh said Monday in a press conference. “There is the type of damage that’s done sometimes in that kind of action what happens to the ankle but it wasn’t as bad as it could’ve been.”

Andrews left their game with the Cincinnati Bengals on the opening possession of the game after being tackled from behind by linebacker Logan Wilson using the controversial ‘hip drop’ method. The play resulted in his ankle being pinned underneath the defender’s body weight as he was being pulled to the ground.

Harbaugh was swift with the initial diagnosis following the game when he announced that Andrews would be out for the year with what was reported on Friday as a cracked fibula and ankle ligament damage.

“It’s a little cleaner than they thought based on the MRI,” Harbaugh said. “He’s going to be involved with Dr. Anderson down in (North) Carolina in Charlotte here the next few days and we’ll know more.”

Dr. Robert Anderson is a renowned surgeon who specializes in orthopedics and has worked with several high-profile athletes, especially in the NFL, including Kansas City Chiefs franchise quarterback Patrick Mahomes in 2021 days after Super Bowl 55 following their 2020 postseason run.

While the remainder of the regular season is not realistic, if the Ravens are able to go on a deep playoff run, Andrews could potentially return to action come January or February.

“There might be an outside chance that he could get back at some point and time,” Harbaugh said. “We’ll have to see how that goes. I don’t want to say that’s definitive by any stretch but there is some optimism.”

In other injury-related news, Harbaugh also provided updates on the Ravens’ other three-time Pro Bowl players. Veteran wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr.’s shoulder injury that he suffered toward the end of Thursday’s game is “not going to be a long-term” issue.

The team is expecting to “hopefully” have veteran cornerback Marlon Humphrey back this week from a calf strain he suffered in Week 10 that caused him to miss a season-sweeping win over the Bengals on a short week. However, they do have confidence in their cornerback depth if he were not to make his return in Week 12 when they play the Los Angeles Chargers in their second straight primetime game on Sunday Night Football.

“We’ve got a deep corner group and they all want to play,” Harbaugh said. “(It’ll) give guys a chance to get out there and play and build it going forward.”