John Harbaugh addresses Zach Ertz rumors: ‘We like our tight ends’

Following the team’s bye week, Baltimore Ravens Head Coach John Harbaugh spoke with the media on Monday.

One of the questions Harbaugh was asked was about the level of interest from the Ravens in acquiring veteran free-agent tight end Zach Ertz.

“Any time a great player is out there, you sure look at it,” Harbaugh said. “But I would say this about that right now: We like our tight ends. We really like our guys. Like I said, I’m not ruling out Mark Andrews for the down-the-road future at all. Mark is so darn tough. Mark is one of those guys that really and truly … You say a guy eats, sleeps and breathes football; that’s Mark Andrews. So, he’s going to do everything he can to get back down the road. But the guys that we have right now – our young guys – they’re real guys, they’re real players, and I think, right now, we’ll just roll with those guys.”

Bleacher Report’s Jordan Schultz named Baltimore as one of four teams most interested in signing Ertz following his requested release from the Arizona Cardinals.

Without Andrews in the lineup, the Ravens will primarily rely on second-year tight end Isaiah Likely to step up in the passing game — which he did against the Los Angeles Chargers last week with 40 yards on four catches. Fellow second-year tight end Charlie Kolar has a chance to prove himself over the season’s final stretch as well. Baltimore also has a pair of tight ends on the practice squad in Scotty Washington and undrafted free agent Travis Vokolek.