Ravens: Will Lamar Jackson play in Saturday’s preseason game?
By Justin Fried
The Baltimore Ravens have yet to see star quarterback Lamar Jackson take the field in the preseason this year. But with Saturday’s preseason finale approaching, could Jackson suit up for the last exhibition game of the summer?
Following the release of undrafted rookie Kenji Bahar earlier this week, that’s exactly what many began to speculate.
With Trace McSorley out for the remainder of the preseason, the Ravens now only have two active quarterbacks on their roster in Jackson and Tyler Huntley.
Many assumed that Huntley, who has received the bulk of reps this preseason, would not be the only QB to play this Saturday. But it might be too quick to make assumptions.
The Ravens should not play Lamar Jackson this Saturday
With McSorley and Jackson out, Huntley played all but three offensive snaps last weekend. The only three snaps that Bahar took resulted in a hand-off and two kneel-downs.
There’s no reason why he can’t play the entire game on Saturday. Especially considering the players that the team will likely be without this week.
The Ravens are still missing five of their top six wide receivers with Marquise Brown, Sammy Watkins, Rashod Bateman, James Proche, and Miles Boykin all not practicing.
The only wide receivers that remain healthy are Devin Duvernay, Tylan Wallace, Jaylon Moore, Binjimen Victor, Devin Gray, and Siaosi Mariner.
And while it’s great to see Duvernay and Wallace getting more reps, that’s hardly an environment you want Jackson stepping into.
That’s doubly true given the uncertainty surrounding the offensive line.
The Ravens’ offensive line has battled injuries this summer and it’s unclear how many starters will be eligible to play this Saturday.
Ronnie Stanley has returned to practice and is expected to be ready for Week 1, but he hasn’t played at all in the preseason and might be held out again this weekend.
Meanwhile, rookie guard Ben Cleveland returned from a concussion on Wednesday only to exit early with another injury. It’s unlikely he suits up this Saturday.
If Huntley gets hurt, you could consider throwing Jackson into the game. Or you could roll with an emergency option as offensive coordinator Greg Roman hinted at.
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There’s no reason to risk injury and throw Jackson into Saturday’s preseason finale for a series or two. Just make it the Tyler Huntley Show 2.0 and make it to the regular season as healthy as possible.