Lamar Jackson won't take the field at all in the Ravens preseason, as Head Coach John Harbaugh announced Thursday that Jackson won't play in Saturday's finale against the Washington Commanders at M&T Bank Stadium.
Jackson was non-committal when asked a couple weeks ago about whether he intended to play in the preseason. He said, "I might give it a shot" but that he didn't know.
The Ravens' Week 1 opponent, the New York Jets, saw their starting quarterback Zach Wilson suffer a knee injury in the preseason that could sideline him for the regular-season opener.
"That doesn't have anything to do with me," Jackson said.
There are a lot of starting quarterbacks who have not yet played in the preseason. Though some more will suit up in the finale, Jackson won't be the only quarterback who sits it out.
The last thing the Ravens want to do is jeopardize Jackson's health for one series of action with the first-team offense. Offensive Coordinator Greg Roman said this week that he's never had a starting quarterback sit out the entire preseason, but he didn't seem concerned either way.
"When I sit back and try to think logically through it … I think back to a series here and a series there that we've played. What has that really gotten us?" Roman said. "Did it make us feel better? It's like, 'I feel better; I saw him go out and execute these four basic plays and put a drive together.'"
The Ravens felt the sting of playing the starters last year. Jackson and the first-team offense got one series of action in the 2021 preseason finale in Washington and running back J.K. Dobbins went down with a season-ending knee injury. The Ravens don't want to see a repeat.
Jackson was sitting next to Head Coach John Harbaugh on the bench after Dobbins' injury.
