Almost two weeks before he was due to report to training camp, Ravens tight end Mark Andrews was in a two-point stance Friday, his eyes on the ball in front of him.

Inside the Under Armour Performance Center, the focus was not football but rather the kids’ game of head, shoulder, knees and ball. And the opponent in front of Andrews was not an NFL defender but rather Raegan Lantz, a rising junior outside hitter on the Miami (Ohio) women’s volleyball team.

Preseason practices in Owings Mills would arrive soon enough. On Friday, Andrews was in Baltimore to host the Dexcom U Signing Day Camp, an event featuring college athletes from across the country who, like Andrews, have diabetes. The three-time Pro Bowl pick was the most accomplished athlete at the camp, but he was not unbeatable. As a small crowd formed to watch Andrews take on the college athletes in the test of reaction skills, he was quickest to claim the ball most times but not every time. After a loss to Lantz, she waved goodbye as he walked away in mock shame.

“For me, giving back to this community ... knowing people that know what it’s like to live with this disease as a Type 1 diabetic, to be out here with these kids and these collegiate athletes, I’ve said it before, but I’m not only here for them to give them advice, but I’m also here for me and myself,” said Andrews, who as a 9-year-old was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes, an autoimmune disease that prevents the pancreas from producing insulin. “Just to be around these kids and be around this community — to have that is incredibly special.”

Andrews knows not everyone in his orbit can be as accepting. On Friday, almost six months after his fourth-quarter drop cost the Ravens in a playoff loss to the Buffalo Bills, he joked with reporters that he’s had “to eat a lot of shit in the last however long it’s been.” He added: “But I’m excited to go show who I am, what I can be and what I can help this team with, because I’m not done yet.”

Andrews’ focus Friday, however, was on diabetes care. He said there are misconceptions about how the disease affects athletes, and he voiced his hopes for a more public dialogue about diabetes.

Andrews also called for more access to diabetes supplies. On Wednesday, ​​Breakthrough T1D, a leading research and advocacy organization for Type 1 diabetes, urged members of the Senate Appropriations Committee in Washington to renew the Special Diabetes Program, which has funded research on the prevention and cure of the disease.

Under President Donald Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill, nearly 12 million Americans would lose health coverage under Medicaid over the next decade, according to estimates from the Congressional Budget Office. Medicaid provides government-sponsored health care for low-income and disabled Americans.

“No one living with Type 1 diabetes should be going without the necessities,” Andrews said. “This is a disease where you can’t go without insulin and your test strips or your Dexcom [continuous glucose monitor] or whatever it may be, so I think all that should be more available. And we’ll see where it goes.”

Leverne Marsh, the executive vice president of marketing for Dexcom, said the company has strived to make its glucose monitors more widely available, and to be responsive to the Trump administration’s health care policies.

“How do we enable people with diabetes to have more tools so that they can live healthier?” Marsh said. “The administration is focused on, how do we help the broader American public, which is a big part of how we can play a role. ... We keep a close eye on this in making sure that we provide resources for folks so that they can understand the role of CGM and what it can play in their lives.”

Even around the Ravens’ facility, Andrews’ diabetes management is a team effort. When Andrews arrived in Baltimore in 2018, offensive tackle Orlando Brown Jr., his former college teammate and close friend, helped him monitor his blood glucose when needed. Nowadays, it’s fellow tight ends Isaiah Likely and Charlie Kolar who stay vigilant.

“I’ve got a bunch of guys that look after me,” Andrews said.

Andrews, who had 673 receiving yards and 11 touchdowns and graded out as Pro Football Focus’ No. 4 overall tight end last season, said he feels “incredibly strong,” despite his leaner frame, and fast, too. He was one of the Ravens’ most impressive receivers during organized team activities and mandatory minicamp, winning on vertical routes and showing good hands.

As rumors swirled this offseason about Andrews’ future in Baltimore — he’s entering the last year of his contract, and general manager Eric DeCosta appeared open to trade offers before the draft — Andrews said he remained focused on “the good things, the things that I can control.”

That includes his work with the Ravens. When Andrews was told Friday that an ESPN survey of league executives, coaches and scouts had found that he was still considered a top-10 tight end, he smiled.

“I think that there’s not many 11-touchdown guys left off the top tight end list, but it is what it is,” Andrews said. “Again, it wasn’t until six games [into the season] that I scored a touchdown, so I know what I can do. There’s points last year where I wasn’t my best, I wasn’t fully there. But I’ve got a great direction. I’ve been able to take care of my body, learn different ways to stay at the top of my game, and I just know what I can bring and who I am as a player. It’s still there.”