The biggest storyline from the Baltimore Ravens’ OTAs has been the absence of Lamar Jackson, and the quarterback choosing not to participate isn’t a great sign to start the season.
Jackson is currently embroiled in contract disputes as he has yet to finalize an extension, not to mention he has been rehabbing from an ankle injury that caused him to miss significant time in 2021.
Jackson’s teammates and coaches have stood by the quarterback, saying Jackson will return to the field when he’s ready, and for the most part, him skipping OTAs doesn’t seem like too big of a deal.
The 2019 MVP will play under center for Baltimore in 2022, that much is for certain. His absence doesn’t affect his starting role, but it could affect the performances of players who want to develop chemistry with Jackson as soon as possible.
Here are three Ravens players who are most impacted by Lamar Jackson’s absence in OTAs.
Ravens Player No. 3: Tyler Huntley
This one speaks for itself. In Lamar Jackson’s absence, Tyler Huntley has been taking snaps under center, picking up right where he left off in 2021.
Huntley was unable to lead the Ravens into the playoffs, losing the last three games in which he started in nail-bitingly close matchups. The formerly undrafted quarterback nonetheless put together a decent season in which he played seven games and threw for 1,081 yards and recorded three touchdowns against four interceptions.
In these OTAs, Huntley steps in as starting quarterback to help generate rhythm in the Ravens’ offense, and while he hasn’t wholly impressed, he hasn’t disappointed, either. That sums up his 2021 performance in a nutshell.
It was an up-and-down day for Tyler Huntley, who is getting first reps in Lamar Jackson's absence.
— Jamison Hensley (@jamisonhensley) June 1, 2022
Huntley's best throw was a 45-yard TD toss to Rashod Bateman. He followed that up by hitting TE Josh Oliver deep down the seam.
Huntley did miss some intermediate throws outside.
Yet Huntley and others still take OTAs seriously, and in the event Jackson misses more time this season due to injury, these are valuable minutes to allow Huntley to carve out a more solidified role in the Ravens’ passing attack.
Huntley has already secured the backup quarterback position, but he’ll still want to make significant improvements to his game this offseason in case he’s called upon to be the knight in shining armor again.
Ravens Player No. 2: Rashod Bateman
This is the year for Rashod Bateman to shine, but he can’t very well do that without Lamar Jackson.
Bateman missed the first five games of 2021 due to injury and in doing so, missed out on precious time to generate chemistry with Jackson. The two never really got on the same page last season but they have a chance to become a star QB-WR duo in 2022 — as long as both remain on the field.
The 2021 first-rounder recorded 46 catches for 515 yards and one touchdown with a catch rate of 67.6 percent. Bateman produced solid numbers in Year 1, but most of it was working with Huntley instead of Jackson.
Both Bateman and Jackson will need to lean on each other to put together an impressive comeback season, and that starts with playing together on the field.
WR @R_bateman2 had the play of the day in today’s OTA practice. He brought down a deep TD pass in traffic over the middle from @_SNOOP1.
— Garrett Downing (@gdowning14) June 1, 2022
Star duos aren’t made in a day, and the earlier Jackson returns to practice the better for all offensive players, Bateman included.
Compared to his wideout peers, Bateman carries the most upside heading into 2022 and can’t risk another injury-plagued middling season. Jackson’s absence arguably hurts Bateman the most, but there’s not much Bateman can do other than get in reps with Huntley and focus on improving his skills sans Jackson.
Ravens Player No. 1: Greg Roman
Admittedly, we stretched the rules on this one. Offensive coordinator Greg Roman has been drawing up plays at OTAs without Lamar Jackson, and there’s absolutely no silver lining to that.
Ever since Jackson was drafted in 2018, the Ravens have built their offense (and identity) around the dual-threat. Not having Jackson in the lineup obviously affects how Baltimore’s offense operates, and even though it’s very early on, Roman would like to see Jackson back sooner rather than later.
Roman has reportedly been hard at work tweaking the offensive scheme, and things won’t be the same when Jackson returns. In other words: Jackson has a lot to catch up on.
Roman recently told reporters:
"“I went back and changed some things and added some things. There’s definitely some things that are new, that we haven’t done. There are also a bunch of things that he’s pretty well adjusted to. It’s probably 80% stuff he knows, 20% stuff that we’re looking forward to working on.”"
Given the Ravens’ sputtering offense last season, Roman has good reason to introduce changes and it’s a no-brainer that Jackson should be the one at the center of those changes. Jackson came off a career-worst season in 2021 that saw him scramble out of the pocket and get sacked too often, and he finished with a career-high 13 interceptions on the year.
With a beefed-up offensive line and young and talented wideouts, Greg Roman has everything he needs to upgrade Baltimore’s offense ahead of the 2022 season — except for his star quarterback.
Fingers crossed Lamar Jackson returns to the field soon — the entire team is depending on it.