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Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson is already one of the most athletic players the NFL has ever seen, but he may be taking it up a notch.
Apparently, Jackson has intentionally lost 10 pounds already this offseason, dropping his weight to 205. That is also 20 pounds lower than what he was two years ago, via Dianna Russini of The Athletic.
Word on the street is that this version of Jackson could be even faster than the one we have seen in previous years, Russini notes.
That is certainly a scary thought for opposing defenses.
Jackson is coming off of a 2023 campaign in which he rushed for 821 yards and five touchdowns while averaging 5.5 yards per carry. He registered back-to-back 1,000-yard campaigns in 2019 and 2020, topping out at 1,206 yards in the former season.
Now just imagine if Jackson is even faster than that in 2024?
Lamar Jackson still has a lot to prove for the Ravens
Jackson just won his second MVP award after throwing for 3,678 yards, 24 touchdowns and seven interceptions while completing 67.2 percent of his passes and posting a passer rating of 102.7. That's in addition to what he did as a rusher.
Most importantly, the 27-year-old led the Ravens to the best record in football at 13-4.
However, Baltimore suffered yet another playoff disappointment, falling to the Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC Championship Game and mustering just 10 points in the loss.
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It was yet another blemish on Jackson's questionable postseason record, as he has gone just 2-4 in his six playoff games. He has not exactly performed well in those contests, either, totaling six passing touchdowns and six picks while completing just 57.4 percent of his throws. He owns a passer rating of just 75.7 in those games.
Jackson went 20-for-37 with 272 yards, a touchdown and a pick against the Chiefs. He added 54 yards on the ground. Not terrible, but not great, either.
At some point, Jackson's regular-season dominance needs to start translating into postseason success. His legacy largely depends on it.
Early on, there were legitimate excuses for Jackson. But now, going into his seventh NFL season, the Ravens superstar needs to start proving he can do it on the biggest of stages.
To be fair, it doesn't exactly help Jackson that Baltimore has done a shoddy job putting together adequate receiving talent around him. Zay Flowers is really his only reliable wide receiver at the moment, and the Ravens did almost nothing to address the issue this offseason other than selecting Devontez Walker in the fourth round of the NFL Draft (although Cam Newton has his own theory on what Baltimore struggles to add legitimate receivers).
Maybe Walker will end up being a steal for Baltimore, but if not, the Ravens will be stuck with Rashod Bateman as their No. 2 receiver. That isn't exactly awe-inspiring.
Baltimore does have a pair of terrific tight ends in Mark Andrews and Isaiah Likely, but it definitely hurts Jackson to not have actual downfield threats other than Flowers. The Ravens tried to bolster their offense by signing running back Derrick Henry in free agency, but Henry is 30 years old and averaged just 4.2 yards per carry in 2023. He is declining.
All of that being said, Jackson needs to find a way to get things done in the playoffs. We'll see if this is finally the year that he and the Ravens break through.
