Baltimore won’t dish on Jackson’s role
The Broncos are likely to see Lamar Jackson on the field Sunday in Baltimore.
It’s anyone’s guess at which position.
Quarterback, coquarterback, running back or wide receiver are all possible in Ravens coach John Harbaugh’s playbook. Jackson appeared on six snaps in a 11point loss at Cincinnati last week, out wide and behind center, and also 30 snaps in mopup duty late in the Ravens’ 473 opening win against Buffalo. In total, Jackson completed one pass for 24 yards and rushed the ball nine times for 45 yards. He has yet to tally a reception.
But all signs point to the Ravens’ continued willingness to experiment with the 2016 Heisman Trophy winner from Louisville.
“We’ve tried to be creative. It’s hard to get two quarterbacks on the field,” Harbaugh said. “It’s not really the norm. We’re working on that and trying to pioneer that a little bit and see what we can do to get our best players on the field. He’s one of our best players.”
Harbaugh also told local Baltimore media that Jackson’s usage will be “week to week, game plan to game plan.”
The Broncos (20) had no problem frustrating another mobile quarterback, Seattle’s Russell Wilson, in a Week 1 victory when Denver pressure forced six sacks. The mechanics of stopping Jackson will be similar with priorities on blitz spacing and containment. But Jackson, the final pick of the NFL draft’s first round last spring, provides an even more nontraditional test.
“(Jackson) is a good athlete, so you can’t treat him like a wildcat player because he can throw the football,” Joseph said. “Obviously, we’re going to have a plan for him. I won’t share that, but we have a plan for him. … He’s played about four to five snaps with (Ravens starting quarterback Joe Flacco) on the field. It’s going to happen, and again, we have a plan for it. We can’t be surprised by that and give up a cheap play. That’s why they’re going to do it, obviously, to catch you slipping and to make a big play on you. We can’t allow it.”
Joseph is smart to play his cards close on how to defend Jackson, although common sense points to one practice squad member possibly holding some role in preparing for the shifty runner — wide receiver Isaiah McKenzie — who clocked a 4.42second 40yard dash at the 2017 NFL scouting combine. The Broncos’ former punt return man told The Denver Post on Wednesday that he has yet to simulate Jackson in practice, but McKenzie said he will probably “run some of the plays (Jackson) runs and things like that” as the week progresses.
“We’re trying to cheat him as a receiver when he comes up,” cornerback Chris Harris said. “They’re not really doing too much with him right now, but you can expect something has got to come up sooner or later. When you lose a divisional game like that at home, you’ve got to expect the best. I’m pretty sure he’s going to have some type of package in there. We’ve got to be ready for it.”
Jackson has yet to achieve a gamebreaking movement through his first two NFL games. In fact, the Ravens’ offense has averaged 3.4 yards per play with him on the field, as opposed to 5.1 when Jackson is on the sideline, according to pennlive.com. However, Baltimore remains steadfast in its commitment to showcasing Jackson’s talents.
“I think he’s done a great job,” Harbaugh said. “I think he’s adapted to it well. Obviously, like anybody else, he wants to earn more and more playing time. And, that’s how it works — play well and you get more playing time.”