BALTIMORE, MD – DECEMBER 30: Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson (8) runs for a touchdown in the first quarter against the Cleveland Browns on December 30, 2018, at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore, MD. (Photo by Mark Goldman/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
The Ravens tailored their offense to Lamar Jackson late last season, but they are totally transforming their system heading into the 2019 campaign.
Someone on the Ravens’ coaching staff probably should have let Lamar Jackson know he was going to need to learn an entirely new offense this offseason. Baltimore’s decision to hire Greg Roman as their new offensive coordinator has the second-year quarterback’s head swimming.
Jackson isn’t making any secret of his belief that the Ravens are in the midst of “installing a totally new offense.” Perhaps that shouldn’t be a surprise. The team’s decision to part ways with Marty Morhinweg was due, in part, to the quarterback transition from Joe Flacco to Jackson. Even so, the former Louisville star also admits to being surprised at his need to learn an entirely new offense this offseason.
Jackson has been critical of his own play early during OTAs, but at least his head coach is satisfied with his progress. John Harbaugh told reporters that he’s happy with the way the offense is adjusting to everything associated with the new system. In particular, he complimented Jackson and the rest of his quarterbacks for “doing a real good job” thus far.
Completely changing an offensive system after a quarterback’s first full season in the NFL clearly isn’t ideal. In a perfect world, Jackson would get several seasons to grow into one offensive system before he was forced to pick up an entirely new set of terminology.
It is however, a good sign that the Ravens are fully committing themselves to helping Jackson succeed. He’s not the sort of quarterback who will thrive in a conventional pro offense. It’s fair to expect Roman’s new system to specialize in putting Jackson in positions where he can succeed. Mainly, that means Baltimore opponents should expect to see the young signal caller out on the edge early and often in 2019.
That’s precisely why Ravens fans shouldn’t get too worried when they hear Jackson say things like “it (the new system) has been getting to me a little bit.” Those are the sort of bumps in the road they should expect for their quarterback as he tries to adjust to a completely new offense. The key will be whether or not Jackson is ready to make the system work when the regular season begins. He’s got a lot of time to work on things between now and Week 1, but it’s the story fans should be watching as the Ravens’ preseason rolls on.