John Harbaugh and the Baltimore Ravens attempted to revamp their Lamar Jackson-led offense under new offensive coordinator Todd Monken last season.
The Ravens were able to get to the AFC Championship Game, but their offense ended up sputtering in a 17-10 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs.
Baltimore’s offense has certainly undergone some changes this offseason, as it is has lost three offensive lineman and wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr., who the team does not seem poised to re-sign. The Ravens have also added running back Derrick Henry to their backfield.
While Baltimore isn’t exactly in the middle of wholesale offensive changes, Harbaugh says that things will look different next season, and he says Jackson will be spearheading it.
“He’s got a lot of thoughts,” Harbaugh said of Jackson, via Clifton Brown of the Ravens’ official team website. “I think he’s looking at every aspect of his game. He starts with himself; that’s what I love about Lamar. [He asks,] ‘What can I do better?’ And that’s why he continues to improve. Then, he goes to what we need, what we need schematically in his view, and he trusts the coaches.”
Jackson is coming off of an MVP-winning campaign in which he threw for 3,678 yards, 24 touchdowns and seven interceptions while completing 67.2 percent of his passes and posting a passer rating of 102.7. He also rushed for 821 yards and five scores.
“We talked and shared ideas schematically, also personnel-wise,” Harbaugh continued. “We’re kind of working on that now, and then, he’ll come back, and he’ll look at everything, and we’ll want to know what he thinks. Like, ‘Do you prefer this or this? Are you comfortable in this direction or that direction? What do you like? [Are there] any other ideas you had since we talked last?’ Lamar will be part of the architecture. I believe he’ll be a big part of the architecture of the offense.”
As he should be.
After all, Jackson is unquestionably the Ravens’ most important player and has been since he took over as the starting quarterback midway through his rookie year in 2018.
There have certainly been some growing pains for Jackson, who has gone just 2-4 in six playoff games. But perhaps Baltimore simply has not found the right medium just yet.
One thing is for sure: John Harbaugh’s Ravens will once again be top-flight contenders in the AFC in 2024. It’s just a matter of whether or not Lamar Jackson and Co. can finally get over the hump in the postseason. Maybe a different look offensively will help them do that.
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