The Ravens know just how dangerous Lamar Jackson can be on the ground, and to no one’s surprise whatsoever, they plan on utilizing their quarterback’s dual threats quite a bit in 2023.
Those who called Lamar Jackson “LamaRB” had to take notice of Jackson’s recent market-resetting contract. $260 million total and $185 million guaranteed is a lot of money for a running back.
Those people are probably still calling Jackson “LamaRB,” but that’s only going to stoke a bigger flame under the Baltimore Ravens quarterback in 2023.
After the last two disappointing seasons, the Ravens let go of offensive coordinator Greg Roman and hired former Georgia coach Todd Monken.
Monken and John Harbaugh will look to create more success in the passing game in particular, and recent acquisitions like Odell Beckham Jr. and Zay Flowers should help on that front.
When it comes to the ground game, however, the Ravens don’t seem interesting in changing something that ain’t broke.
When asked whether Jackson would run less in 2023, Monken had this to say:
Ravens see Lamar Jackson’s running prowess as a “huge weapon,” what’s new?
In the Greg Roman era, Jackson rushed for 700 or more yards in every season except his rookie season, including two back-to-back 1,000-plus rushing campaigns in 2019 and 2020.
Realistically, will Jackson achieve another 1,000-yard season this year?
Probably not.
The Ravens have been trying to elevate their passing attack for the past few years, and it would benefit the team to lean less on Jackson’s legs and more on his arm. He does, after all, have a much improved pass-catching group to throw to in Beckham, Flowers, and Rashod Bateman, not to mention trusty target Mark Andrews.
Jackson’s rushing talent may have contributed to durability concerns in the past as the quarterback has missed huge chunks of the last two seasons; barring any injury setbacks, Jackson should be able to bounce back and lead his team into the Super Bowl-contending category.
Given that Jackson has said he wants to throw for a whopping 6,000 yards, he’ll most likely have his hands full with passing touchdowns rather than rushing touchdowns. A more probable projection for Jackson in the run game may be somewhere around 500 to 600 yards depending on how much Monken decides to change the Ravens’ scheme.
