Ravens TE Mark Andrews Supports Hip-Drop Tackle Ban

Baltimore Ravens tight end Mark Andrews is happy to see change after a major injury last season.

Baltimore Ravens tight end Mark Andrews (89) fights a tackle from Cincinnati Bengals linebacker Logan Wilson (55) in the first quarter of the NFL Week 11 game between the Baltimore Ravens and the Cincinnati Bengals at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore on Thursday, Nov. 16, 2023. / Sam Greene/The Enquirer / USA TODAY

For Baltimore Ravens tight end Mark Andrews, the NFL's move to ban the controversial hip-drop tackle is a very welcome change.

Last season, Andrews joined the lengthy list of players to suffer a major injury on a hip-drop tackle. The three-time Pro Bowl selection went down on a tackle by Cincinnati Bengals linebacker Logan Wilson, which resulted in him suffering an ankle ligament injury and cracked fibula. Andrews missed over two months recovering from the injury, only returning for the AFC Championship Game.

While speaking to reporters on Tuesday, Andrews became the latest player to voice his support for the league's ban such tackles.

"I think it's just sometimes part of the game. I'm always an advocate for making the game safer," Andrews said, per the team's official site. "[When] you look at the last maybe five years, there's been a lot of big injuries with that. So, just bringing the awareness to that type of tackle I think is good. Keeping guys healthy is going to be great. Taking that tackle out of the game is not a bad thing, I don't think. I think the defenses can find a way to get around that."

Even with the long list of injuries stemming from hip-drop tackles, many players, primarily on the defensive side of the ball, have voiced their opposition to the ban. On the other hand, several offensive players, especially those who have been injured on those tackles, have voiced their support for the change.

In 10 games last season, Andrews caught 45 passes for 544 yards and six touchdowns. Now fully healthy, he'll look to prove that he is still among the league's elite tight ends.

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