Taking a Deep Dive into Lamar Jackson's Numbers As a Downfield Passer
With the additions of dynamic weapons at wide receiver in Odell Beckham Jr., first-round pick Zay Flowers, and Nelson Agholor, as well as a new offensive coordinator in Todd Monken, there is plenty of optimism for the Ravens' downfield passing game to go from subpar to spectacular.
For that to happen, however, Lamar Jackson will need to show improvement as a deep passer, according to The Baltimore Banner’s Jonas Shaffer, who took an in-depth look at Jackson's accuracy on deep throws.
"An explosive attack requires home run hitters, and Jackson has had one of the NFL's worst whiff rates on deep shots," Shaffer wrote. "His accuracy on passes of at least 20 air yards has fallen each of the past two years, according to Sports Info Solutions. A review of his deep passes last season by The Baltimore Banner found that he went 15-for-45 (33.3%), excluding Hail Mary attempts and throwaways.
"Maybe most concerning was how few gave Jackson's target a chance. … Among the 34 quarterbacks who attempted at least 25 deep passes in 2022, according to SIS, Jackson finished last in catchable rate (41%) and third to last in on-target rate (35.9%), by far the worst marks of his career as a full-time starter."
Shaffer noted that Jackson was not solely responsible for the lack of success on deep throws.
"There were questionable personnel groupings and play calls from Offensive Coordinator Greg Roman. There were misplayed passes. There were breakdowns in pass protection. There was a lot of good defense," Shaffer wrote. "But too often an inaccurate throw or poor read was the offense's undoing."
Orlando Brown Jr.: 'Sky's the Limit' for Ravens Offense
Cincinnati Bengals left tackle Orlando Brown Jr. said he expects to see a different Ravens offense this season than the one he was a part of from 2018-2020.
Brown believes the Ravens will primarily run a spread offense out of 11 personnel (one running back, one tight end, three wide receivers).
"They're going to force people to play a college-style offense," Brown said on ESPN's "NFL Live." "With the space and things that Lamar's going to be able to do with his feet, with the talent that they have at the receiver position, with J.K. Dobbins and everything they'll be able to do, they got an awesome left tackle in my guy Ronnie Stanley, I think the sky's the limit for what their offense can be."
When asked about Jackson as a passer, Brown said: "He has all the tools and the ability to go out there and truly be somebody different that this league hasn't ever seen, and I think the system's really going to help him out."
Kyle Hamilton Discusses Chuck Clark Being Traded, Rough Performance Against Dolphins, and More
Safety Kyle Hamilton sat down for an interview with The Athletic's Jeff Zrebiec. Here are some excerpts:
On his role in Year 2: "Hopefully, my role is to emerge as a leader. I still have a lot to prove in order to accept that role and that position from the guys. But just being a vocal leader in a sense of communicating on the field, not necessarily as a rah-rah speech guy, but making sure everybody is on the same page. And then just raise my play to a different level. I thought I played OK last year. I could have played a lot better from my perspective. I have high expectations for myself and I try to hold myself to that standard."
On Chuck Clark being traded this offseason: "It sucks because Chuck would help me a lot last year. I know all of the stuff out there in the media with his situation and this and that, but he never had ill will toward me at all. Just a straight professional. He helped me a lot in terms of learning and growing as a young safety. He set an example every day that he was here. He was the same guy every day with the same kind of attitude out of him. You always looked to him if you were feeling a little flat at practice and needed some energy. He was always in the right spot at the right time. I definitely took a lot from Chuck. When he left, it made me understand that my role is going to be bigger, not just on the field, but in terms of communicating and being that guy."
On how he dealt with his rough performance in a loss to the Dolphins in Week 2 last year: "I always try not to get too high and not to get too low. I'd say the people around me know that I'm an even-keeled guy. If I make a great play, I tell myself something that I could have done better. If I make a bad play, I try to forget it. What went into me going into the next week in New England and causing a fumble was just forgetting about it. The guys around the building make it hard for me to forget. They're always joking with me about the Miami game and about how I 'MA'd' (missed assignments) twice. But you just have to take it on the chin. Everybody in this league has down moments and they have high moments. You have to be the same guy through all of it."
On his favorite thing about Baltimore: "I think the fan base in a sense of one, their honesty. I appreciate that. You can't take for granted that Baltimore's fan base is such a good one, because around the league, there's definitely cities where I'm sure guys are like, 'I wish the fans are more into it.' It's tough to complain about your fans caring too much, when there are people who complain about them not caring at all. I've also met some great people around the city who have helped me out a lot, people who want to connect with Kyle the person, not Kyle the football player. It's been really genuine and I appreciate it."
Flowers Makes NFL.com's Preseason Offensive All-Rookie Team
NFL.com draft analyst Chad Reuter expects Flowers to make an immediate impact. The 22nd-overall pick was named to Reuter’s preseason Offensive All-Rookie Team.
"Flowers can be the big-play threat after the catch that the Ravens' offense has needed for some time," Reuter wrote. "He could have 80 catches as a rookie, spreading out defenses horizontally and vertically, which will make the team's running attack even more dangerous."
If Flowers does get to 80 catches, he would shatter the franchise record for receptions by a rookie set by Torrey Smith, who had 50 catches in 2011.
Agholor Is Ravens' Surprise Offseason Standout
The Ravens' signing of Agholor was overshadowed by the additions of Beckham and Flowers, but the 2015 first-round pick has made a strong impression at OTAs and minicamp.
Agholor was named the Ravens' surprise standout of the offseason by ESPN’s Jamison Hensley.
"'Nelly' — as Lamar Jackson calls him — has repeatedly stood out, whether it's a long touchdown grab or a nifty grab on a back-shoulder throw," Hensley wrote. "Agholor is the clear-cut No. 4 wide receiver in Baltimore, but he's making a case for having a bigger role in the passing game."
Quick Hits
- Ebony Bird’s Parker Hurley identified five bounce back candidates for the Ravens.
