With the Baltimore Ravens signing superstar quarterback Lamar Jackson to a lucrative five-year contract, gone are the days when they could run the risk of constantly asking Jackson to use his feet instead of his arm. Utilized almost like a gadget quarterback last season with the number of designed runs that were called for him, the Ravens are now focusing on making the life of the 2019 NFL MVP a bit easier for him.
With rookie wideout Zay Flowers joining veteran wide receivers Odell Beckham Jr. and Nelson Agholor in a re-tooled offense, Ravens offensive coordinator Todd Monken will look to get the best out of Jackson as a passer by removing some of the burden off of him.
“I think the more talented you are around your quarterback, the less he has to burden – take on that burden – shoulder the load, because you're excited about getting others the football where they can utilize their skill set,” Monken told reporters on Wednesday, per baltimoreravens.com editorial director Ryan Mink.
That said, Monken is wise enough to know that Jackson is a special athlete, and that the Ravens are better off utilizing it than going away from it completely.
“As you get further into your career, as Lamar gets older – as everybody does – you want to take some of that off of the player as best you can,” Monken said. “But he has a unique trait, a unique skillset. You can't take that completely out of his toolbox because that's a huge weapon for him and for us, is using his feet.”
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