PALM BEACH, Fla. — Coach John Harbaugh “fully expects” that tight end Mark Andrews will be on the Ravens roster this season.

Andrews holds the Ravens franchise touchdown record (51) and had the third-most receiving yards on the team last season. But there were questions this offseason about whether would be a candidate for a trade or a release as he heads into the final year of his contract.

General manager Eric DeCosta was vague about Andrews’ future when asked in February at the NFL scouting combine.

“I mean, Mark is going to go down as one of our great players — he’ll be in the [Ravens] Ring of Honor someday,“ DeCosta said. ”I love having Mark on the team — he’s an amazing player. I know he’s going to have an amazing season. We’ll figure out all of the roster machinations over the coming weeks, but I can tell you, there’s no bigger fan of Mark Andrews than me.”

When the league year started on March 12, opening up the opportunity for the team to trade Andrews or designate him as a post-June 1 release, nothing happened.

Harbaugh on Monday gave a much more definitive update than DeCosta’s, although he still left open the possibility of a move.

“It’s the National Football League,” Harbaugh said. “That’s part of the deal, with things happening, so I never could say anybody ... but Mark would be one of the few guys I would expect to be here, so we’ll see what happens. My plans are that we’ve got Mark, we’ve got Isaiah [Likely], we’ve got Charlie [Kolar], we’ve got Pat Ricard all in place doing all those jobs.”

Harbaugh, who was asked about a proposal to ban the “tush push," also said that if the play remains legal, Andrews will be out there next season carrying the ball for the Ravens’ version of the play.

Although he doesn’t talk to Andrews daily like he would during the season, Harbaugh said they’ve been in contact.

The Ravens season ended in disappointing fashion when Andrews dropped the game-tying two-point conversion pass in the end zone during the AFC divisional round game against the Buffalo Bills. Andrews did not speak to the media after the game. He also did not show up to locker room clean out interviews the next day.

But Harbaugh said Andrews is in a good place and is working hard. And should he return as a Raven, he will continue to build on his record-breaking career.

Extending the king’s time in Baltimore

Derrick Henry might be 31 years old, past the prime of a typical running back, but the Ravens hope to see him on the field for more than just the one year left on his two-year contract.

At the combine, DeCosta called Henry the “perfect player for us” and said he expects Henry to carry his success from last season into next season. Henry finished with 1,921 rushing yards — the second-most in his nine-year career — and 16 touchdowns.

Again, DeCosta did not directly answer whether the team planned to extend Henry, but implied it was something he wanted to happen.

“I think we have a picture of Derrick going up on my wall. So, what does that tell you?” DeCosta said.

But Harbaugh confirmed that’s something team officials would like to happen.

“It’s definitely in the conversation,” Harbaugh said. “I know that’s been talked about, and yes, I’d love to see that get done as well.”

DeAndre Hopkins where he belongs

Whenever Harbaugh watched wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins play, he had the same reaction as if he was watching Henry or quarterback Lamar Jackson.

“He’s a guy that I’ve always felt like should be a Raven,” Harbaugh said.

His instincts proved right. All three will be Ravens in 2025.

While Jackson came into the league as a Raven after the team acquired the No. 32 pick in 2018 to get him, Henry signed on as a free agent in 2024, and Hopkins followed last month.

Hopkins signed a one-year, $6 million contract on March 14 to join the Ravens for the 13th season of his NFL career. The receiver has accumulated 12,965 receiving yards over the course of his career, averaging over 1,000 receiving yards a season. Last year, he had 610 receiving yards, but he passed 1,000 in the 2023 season (1,057).

Baltimore already has a top wide receiver in Zay Flowers, with Rashod Bateman taking the No. 2 spot. Hopkins will likely slide into the third receiver role. However, he will also be competing with three tight ends for targets.

Although Hopkins is used to being the top receiver on the team, he said at his introductory press conference that he was clear about his role in Baltimore. He will be the veteran among younger stars who will compete with him for targets.

Harbaugh, who talked to Hopkins on the phone from the parking lot of his daughter’s lacrosse game, said their call showed they were on the same page.

“I had a chance to talk to him about what his vision was for his future and what he wanted to accomplish,” Harbaugh said. “And amazingly enough, it aligned perfectly with the Ravens’ vision. It was right in line with what we’re trying to do.”

Newsy tidbits

• Harbaugh said he expects linebacker Trenton Simpson to start as their early-down linebacker. As a second-year player and first-year starter, Simpson went from playing over 60% of the defensive snaps for each of the first 11 weeks to playing only a handful of snaps in the final few games. But Harbaugh said he expects Simpson to make a big jump in year three, much as Pro Bowl linebacker Patrick Queen did. And if Simpson continues to improve, he may be able to contribute on passing downs, as well.
• At the combine, Harbaugh expressed his hope that the Ravens would be able to bring left tackle Ronnie Stanley back. Now that the team got a deal done, Harbaugh is relieved. If Stanley had departed in free agency, the Ravens would have needed to address the left tackle spot “in a big way.” But now they only have one starter on the line to replace. And Harbaugh is eager to see Stanley take the next step — one that he thinks will take Stanley beyond what he was in 2019 when he was named a first-team All-Pro.
• Harbaugh shouted out nose tackle Michael Pierce for a great career — and a great ending to it. Pierce, who announced his retirement on March 12, finished the regular season by making his first career interception on a play that went viral. But Pierce’s retirement also leaves a hole. Pierce was a big part of the stout run defense and had one year left on his deal. Although Baltimore has a strong trio of defensive tackles in Nnamdi Madubuike, Travis Jones and Broderick Washington, Jones and Washington dealt with injuries last season. Harbaugh said they will have to think about addressing depth at the position.