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Ebony Bird

What the Ravens want to see from Lamar Jackson vs. the Dolphins

By Richard Bradshaw

INDIANAPOLIS, IN - AUGUST 20: Lamar Jackson #8 of the Baltimore Ravens looks to pass while under pressure in the second quarter of a preseason game against the Indianapolis Colts at Lucas Oil Stadium on August 20, 2018 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images)
INDIANAPOLIS, IN - AUGUST 20: Lamar Jackson #8 of the Baltimore Ravens looks to pass while under pressure in the second quarter of a preseason game against the Indianapolis Colts at Lucas Oil Stadium on August 20, 2018 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images) /
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Baltimore Ravens
BALTIMORE, MD – AUGUST 09: Lamar Jackson #8 of the Baltimore Ravens rushes past Marqui Christian #41 of the Los Angeles Rams during a preseason game at M&T Bank Stadium on August 9, 2018 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images) /

Play it safe:

The sexiest aspect of Lamar Jackson coming into the 2018 NFL Draft was his explosiveness as a runner. Jackson brought back nostalgia of a young Michael Vick with the way he broke the will of defenses with his legs and his arm. While Jackson is certainly no Michael Vick, we are aware of his dynamism as a mobile quarterback. He’s shown it off plenty of times this preseason.

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But come Saturday night, everyone will be asking Jackson to take it easy and not take those unnecessary hits. There’s certainly a difference between being creative and being reckless. In his fourth career NFL game, it’s time we start to see some progression in this area of Jackson’s game. There’s a quarterback right next to him who should be giving the rookie all the advice in the world on how to be a conservative, yet radical play-maker.

Standout in the quarterback room:

Speaking of quarterbacks, Lamar Jackson needs to start standing out from the pack. No, not because his roster spot is in jeopardy. Rather, because his placement on the depth chart is at risk. If the season started today, the Ravens would be best suited to have Jackson as the team’s third-string quarterback, behind Joe Flacco and Robert Griffin III. This is less than ideal for the 2018 first round pick.

Maybe starting off the season as the team’s third quarterback is a blessing in disguise, as it will allow Jackson to take his NFL career slowly and not feel rushed. But fans and maybe even the front office could view this as disappointing. Spending a first round draft choice on a quarterback who isn’t even the team’s back-up is certainly frustrating. While no one should be rushing Jackson in 2018, it’s important that he starts to pick up the pace this preseason and begin to standout from the other Ravens quarterbacks.

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