The Ravens coaches have been dismissive with questions about Lamar Jackson’s whereabouts during the past two voluntary workouts.
The standard response has been, “Ask Lamar,” when his absence comes up.
Players are not required to attend these workouts.
That’s why they are voluntary.
However, it doesn’t pass the eye test for a quarterback who repeatedly claims he wants to win a Super Bowl in Baltimore.
Jackson was sidelined for the final four games of the 2021 season with an ankle injury and the Ravens went winless over that stretch. Jackson will inevitably have some rust after the long layoff.
This year, he’ll be working with a new center, rookie Tyler Linderbaum, and the two will have to get their timing down.
Jackson will also go into training camp with a young group of wide receivers that also need to develop chemistry with him. Jackson and Rashod Bateman have worked out together this offseason, but it was not in a team environment.
Seeing Rashod Bateman catch passes from Lamar Jackson instead of Josh Johnson is very refreshing 😮💨pic.twitter.com/w8SZi3hZXL
— Ramey (@HoodieRamey) April 6, 2022
While offensive coordinator Greg Roman declined to get into specifics about Jackson’s absence, he did concede that he will have some catching up to do when he eventually does show up.
“I definitely think we kind of went back and changed some things and added some things,” Roman said. “There are definitely some things that are new [and] that we haven’t done. There are also a bunch of things that he’s pretty well-adjusted to – probably 80% stuff he knows, 20% stuff that we look forward to working on.”
Last season, Jackson threw for 2,882 yards with 16 touchdowns and 13 interceptions. He also ran for 767 yards with two scores and six fumbles.
He is also dealing with a contract issue with the Ravens so there is a cloud of uncertainty hanging over his future.
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— Russell St. Report (@RussellStReport) June 3, 2022
Jackson will play under a fifth-year option in 2022 worth just over $23 million. If the Ravens and Jackson cannot reach a deal after the season, the team can use the franchise tag on him for the next two years, which will be expensive.
Jackson does have the support of his teammates this offseason. They are not worried about him missing time and are confident he is putting in the work.
“I know Lamar and I know … I’ve talked with him. I know how hard he’s working,” tight end Mark Andrews said. “He’s extremely motivated, extremely hungry. So, there are no worries over there. I know what he’s doing. We’re all working and doing our job here and getting ready for him. We’ll be ready to go, and I’m confident that he’s going to be ready and show everybody what he’s got, and what type of hunger he’s got right now.”
While Jackson is MIA, other veterans, such as Andrews, Marlon Humphrey, J.K. Dobbins and Marcus Peters, have been at the OTAs even if some of them can’t play because of injuries.
If Jackson struggles early, his missed practice time will give his critics more fuel to attack him. Jackson has already been a lightning rod this offseason, but his teammates believe he will ignore the outside noise and be ready to play when the season opens in September — OTAs be damned.
“I know Lamar has been training a lot, but we’ve had a big attendance,” Humphrey said. “I know Lamar will be here soon. I guess, when things are really going fine in training camp … If it was training camp, it would be really bad, but I think as long as guys are working, no matter where they are, that’s the biggest key.
“As long as you’re working … I spoke with Lamar early in the offseason; he said he’ll be coming in, so we’ll [be] really excited to get him out here.”
