OWINGS MILLS, Md. — It was a playoff bye week surprise at Friday's Ravens practice. Tight end Mark Andrews was back on the field.
"Today was the first day. [He] did individual. That was it," said head coach John Harbaugh.
"He is moving around. He looks good," added fullback Patrick Ricard.
"Mark looked good in my eyes," said tight end Isaiah Likely. "He did the whole individual [drills], running around, having fun, smiling, finally back on the field with us."
Andrews has been out since suffering a left ankle injury on Nov. 16 against the Cincinnati Bengals. Surgery soon followed. On Friday Andrews was designated for return from injured reserve. That gives the Ravens 21 days to put him on the active roster. If the team waits that long, and is still playing in three weeks, they will be headed to the Super Bowl.
So what’s the plan?
"I think we are on the same timetable that we were on," said Harbaugh. "We’ll get into next week and have a better idea."
The simple fact that Andrews is giving it a go means the world to his teammates.
"He is a guy that is a big leader on this team, a great teammate, a great brother. So, for us to see him out there, it definitely boosts morale of like, ‘Okay. We see you, Mark. Let’s keep this thing going so we can have you back'," said Ricard.
Even though he missed the final six games of the regular season Andrews ranks first on the team with six receiving touchdowns, second with 45 catches and third with 544 receiving yards.
He did not speak with the media after practice.
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