Ravens' John Harbaugh on Mark Andrews ankle injury: 'There is some optimism'

Baltimore Ravens head coach John Harbaugh expressed hopefulness that star tight end Mark Andrews' ankle injury may not be as bad as the team initially thought.

"There might be an outside chance [that] he could get back at some point in time," Harbaugh said Monday. "We'll just have to see how that goes, though. I don't want to say that's definitive by any stretch, but there is some optimism.

"Nothing's completely definitive yet, but my understanding is — in talking with our trainer and the doctors — that it wasn't as bad as initially feared right after the game. It's a little cleaner than they thought, based on the MRI."

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Andrews suffered a cracked fibula and an ankle ligament injury on the first drive of Baltimore's eventual 34-20 win over Cincinnati on Thursday after Bengals linebacker Logan Wilson landed on his ankle while bringing him to the ground with a "hip-drop" tackle, which the league is seeking to eliminate.

After the game, Harbaugh said the injury, which has since rehashed the 'hip-drop' tackle conversation, would likely sideline the Pro Bowler for the remainder of the season, but it appears there could be hope for Andrews' return after all.

Andrews is undergoing surgery for the ankle on Tuesday, NFL Network reported.

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Andrews, who has remained one of Lamar Jackson's favorite options in the passing game, is second on the team with 45 catches for 544 yards and leads the Ravens with a team-high six touchdown receptions.

Harbaugh said Jackson seems fine after hurting his ankle a bit against the Bengals. He was able to return to the game. Harbaugh also expressed hope that cornerback Marlon Humphrey (calf) could be back this weekend against the Los Angeles Chargers on Sunday (8:20 p.m. ET).

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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