The Baltimore Ravens have hitched their wagon to QB Lamar Jackson in more ways than one this offseason. Not only did they commit a substantial amount of money to keep him under contract for the foreseeable future, they have also retooled the offense to accommodate more of his preference, including more passes and more control over the offense.
NFL analyst (and former Pittsburgh Steeler) Merril Hoge is not convinced that is in Baltimore’s best interests. When asked on The Zach Gelb Show to weigh in on the AFC North opponents for Pittsburgh, he said the Ravens will be a very interesting team to watch this year in how much new offensive coordinator Todd Monken deviates from his reputation.
“Actually, I don’t quite understand what they’re doing there”, he said, adding that Monken is known for doing what great coaches do: building their offensive around the players that they have and what their strengths are.
“But they’re asking, the way they’re talking about it, now they’re gonna ask Lamar to do something he’s not good at, he’s never shown he’s good at, and that’s playing a pro-style, traditional, NFL offense”, he added of the 2019 unanimous league Most Valuable Player. And, he argues, that’s what Baltimore has been telling us for the past half a decade.
“That’s not me saying it. The Ravens have showed you that for his entire career. A majority of their formations are two tight ends, two backs, power formations”, he said. “When they have done that or been forced to do that, he has been exposed as a passer. That is not his strength. Not in college, not in the NFL. He has no evidence of that. But they’re gonna play into that”.
While he acknowledged the argument that turning the offense over to Jackson and allowing him to run the show and to develop into that role may be the necessary next step for them to take the system to another level, he questioned if it would work. “Is it really what he can do and is gonna give you your best chance to win?”.
The 32nd-overall pick in the 2018 NFL Draft, Jackosn is, first and foremost, a winner. Only Patrick Mahomes has a higher winning percentage as the starter of record since his rookie season, posting 45 wins in 61 games.
While he hasn’t thrown for more than 3,127 yards passing in a single season to date, he’s also never attempted more than 401 passes, and he still has a healthy 7.4 yards per pass attempt over his career, even if that number fell to 6.9 in 2022.
He does not have the reputation of being an elite pocket passer, but his status as one of the most dynamic playmakers in the history of the game is undisputed. He does have 4,437 rushing yards and 24 rushing touchdowns with multiple seasons of 1,000-plus yards rushing. He also averages more than 6 yards per rushing attempt.
The Ravens have given Jackson the most complete and dynamic group of pass catchers in 2023 that he has ever had. At wide receiver, they added Zay Flowers in the first round to complement the free agent acquisitions of Odell Beckham Jr. and Nelson Agholor, retaining former first-round pick Rashod Bateman. They also have a dynamic pass-catching tandem at tight end in Mark Andrews and Isaiah Likely.
