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After some tumultuous times early in the off-season, the Baltimore Ravens steadied the ship by re-signing star quarterback Lamar Jackson to a five-year, $260 million deal. This contract made Jackson the highest-paid player in NFL history.
This is a major risk for the Ravens, as by now it is essentially a given that Lamar Jackson will not stay healthy for an entire season. The talented Ravens quarterback has missed five games in each of the last two seasons. Baltimore is 15-9 with Jackson on the field during this period and 3-5 when he does not play.
Curiously, the Ravens have not invested in a competent backup quarterback. Finding a dual-threat QB is easier than it once was but they are still not plentiful. Tyler Huntley has filled the backup role for the last two seasons, putting together some promising performances with some downright ugly showings.
The free-agent quarterback market is still filled with notable passers such as Carson Wentz, Nick Foles, and Teddy Bridgewater, and the Ravens should aggressively pursue one of these QBs to fill out their roster before training camp.
Ravens: 1 perfect move to fill out roster before training camp
Sign free agent quarterback Teddy Bridgewater
An improbable (an undeserved) Pro Bowl nominee in 2022 after backing up Lamar Jackson, Tyler Huntley was, in all reality, barely serviceable in relief duty for the Ravens' star QB. Huntley somewhat mirrors Lamar Jackson's skillset, albeit at a much lower level — averaging 42.1 rush yards per game across eight starts and two long relief appearances in his career. Yet the offense is far worse with Huntley at the helm.
Huntley made four starts in 2022 plus one game in which he replaced an injured Lamar Jackson in the first quarter. In those five contests, the Ravens averaged 11.8 points per game and scored just four offensive touchdowns during this stretch. Luckily for Huntley, the Ravens defense held opponents to a paltry 12.2 points/game during this stretch. In the 11 games that Lamar Jackson played from start to finish, the Baltimore offense was twice as potent, averaging 25 PPG.
Tyler Huntley was far less effective in 2022 than in 2021. He rushed for just 27.4 yards per game last season after putting up 56.8 YPG the year before. In the air, Huntley had three games with 200-plus passing yards in 2021 and none in 2022. This type of dropoff warrants an upgrade at the backup quarterback position for the Ravens.
With the lack of production that Huntley demonstrated in the rushing game, the Ravens need not look for a dual-threat quarterback, but rather a signal-caller who can at the very least keep the ball occasionally on read-option plays and demonstrate some mobility in the pocket.
This free agent market is sparse with this kind of QB, but one player who fits the bill is Teddy Bridgewater. The former Miami Dolphin is a competent passer who threw for more than 3,000 yards in 2021 with the Denver Broncos, leading a mediocre team to a 7-7 record in the games he started.
His career passer rating is 90.5, far better than Tyler Huntley's mark of 76.6, plus he has a superior touchdown to interception ratio. Another option here is former Washington Commanders quarterback Carson Wentz, who is an underrated rusher but will likely be looking for a more stable starting role.
Teddy Bridgewater has previously had success as a play-action quarterback in a run-heavy offense, both in Minnesota and Denver, making him an ideal fit to control Baltimore's rushing attack and a considerable upgrade from current backup Tyler Huntley.
