With the Baltimore Ravens loss to the Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC Championship, there is reason for many fans to think that this team will never get over the hump with Lamar Jackson. This is one of the best rosters the Ravens will have, especially when you look at their cap situation in the next couple of years. Meanwhile, this is the worst the Chiefs have been for a while, and still, Kansas City won.
While there are plenty of reasons to think that they are stuck being not good enough, there are still reasons to think that the future is bright in Baltimore.
3. Lamar Jackson should get better with time in the Todd Monken offense
While the Ravens offense had moments of brilliance, it also looked shaky too many times throughout the season to trust in the biggest moments. Some of that comes back to Lamar Jackson, but a lot of that can be tied to the Ravens being in the Todd Monken offense for the first time this year.
Todd Monken has a very different style than Greg Roman. Roman is much more focused on power and running, while Monken is more interested in spreading the ball out and passing. You could argue that the personnel is shifting towards the Monken philosophies, but it is not there yet.
Monken had to run a hybrid with a mix of the Roman offense and his own. This upcoming year, he can make the offense his own. The personnel will continue to shift, and Lamar Jackson will get more comfortable.
When Jackson sees a defensive look, there are only so many shifts and motions he knows right now, but once he has that familiarity to expand his game, the offense can continue to get better. The Ravens need to see their offense improve. If it does, they can take the next step. Thinking that the offense will cap itself out after one year is too pessimistic.
2. The Baltimore Ravens have building blocks on their roster
One keynote that was highlighted in the Ravens' run to the AFC Championship was the infusion of draft picks who were making immediate impacts. The Ravens had three first-round picks in the last two years, and all of them were hits.
Tyler Linderbaum took the step from a promising rookie center to someone who will be in contention for the All-Pro every year. Kyle Hamilton was a first-team All-Pro in his second NFL season, and he still does not even have a defined position yet.
More than that, Zay Flowers is the Ravens' number one wide receiver as a rookie. He still had mental lapses that are required for a year two leap, but the three of these players making impacts like this make for a strong future. They will have all three on cheap deals for the next two years.
1. The Baltimore Ravens are about to get younger
The Baltimore Ravens are going to lose a lot of names on their roster, which is why many think this was their best chance. However, while some names may hurt, a lot of them were older names that were not a part of the long-term plans.
Jadeveon Clowney, Kyle Van Noy, and Odell Beckham are all older and probably not going to play any better next year than they did this year. Meanwhile, the Ravens will start to replace those names with younger names.
The team will be getting a lot of compensatory value this offseason because of all of the names they are losing. They will begin the cycle of rebuilding through the draft. As we noted with Eric DeCosta and his track record, the Ravens should feel good about being forced to rebuild through the draft. There will still be talented Ravens rosters with Lamar Jackson in the future.