The Baltimore Ravens have found the absolute perfect backup for Lamar Jackson. The Ravens got what they needed to out of Robert Griffin III. They played around with the idea, of Trace McSorley. The ideal backup is actually Tyler Huntley.
Huntley is the closest thing the Ravens are going to find to Lamar Jackson as a runner. Nobody can duplicate what Lamar Jackson can do, but Huntley is the light version of Jackson in that area. That means so much of Greg Roman’s creativity can be in play even without the star of the show under center.
With Huntley in the game, Baltimore can lean on the run and use a make-shift offense similar to when Jackson first took over for Joe Flacco. Huntley has a lively arm and he made big throws in big moments as the starting quarterback at Utah. Huntley can develop into the poor man’s version of Jackson.
Huntley is a project at the quarterback position, but his plus athleticism towers over what Trace McSorley can do. In the Covid-19 affected game against the Pittsburgh Steelers and the relief effort against the Browns, McSorley earned himself some respect. He made a few big throws.
The Ravens will likely make this a competition. The backup job will be a training camp positional battle to watch. While neither quarterback has absolutely wowed, McSorley earned the right to compete for the job next year. That being said we know how that backup quarterback battle should go.
There is an upside with Huntley that just isn’t there with McSorley. McSorley is who he is, and nothing is really going to change that. Huntley is a little less undersized than McSorley and is a better athlete. Their throwing abilities are both inconsistent so it’s not like McSorley has an advantage in that aspect.
If the Ravens develop Huntley and show him off in garbage time of an already decided game, or if he gets them by a game or two without Jackson, his value will rise.
Huntley is a very fast quarterback with a strong arm. At some point, there could be a team that wants to take a shot at that. The New England Patriots have shown the upside of trading backup quarterbacks when you have your guy of the present and the future under center.
The Bottom Line:
Competition or not, Huntley is the most promising backup the Ravens can go with, He has many of the same qualities as Jackson at the quarterback position. While he doesn’t have the magic that the former MVP has, he sure seemed like a fit in his limited playing time with the Ravens.
Huntley makes the most sense as the Ravens backup quarterback next season. He should be the Ravens QB2.