At the start of training camp, one of the biggest storylines for the Baltimore Ravens was quarterback Lamar Jackson and his development. After a rookie season in which Jackson performed better with his legs than his arm, he had plenty of critics. But not deterred, Jackson took to the practice field on his own time this offseason to work on his fundamentals in an effort to become more consistent.
Jackson has gotten rave reviews at training camp, including safety Earl Thomas saying he’s “dropping dimes.” But practicing against your own teammates is dramatically different than playing against another team in a stadium. On Thursday night, Jackson got his chance to silence his critics in his first preseason action of the season.
While Jackson played just three series on the night and against the Jacksonville Jaguars’ backups, he showed more consistency than in the past and a winning formula for Baltimore’s offense. Though he didn’t silence his critics, it’s hard to be harsh about Jackson’s night: 4-of-6 passing (66.7%) for 59 yards, one touchdown, no interceptions and no rushing attempts.
It’s a dramatic shift from the Jackson we saw last season, who would take off at the slightest hint of pressure. Though Jackson attributed his lack of rushing attempts to simply what was called by offensive coordinator Greg Roman, it shows growth as a passer and a desire to not just be considered a gimmick. He stuck in the pocket when he had to and threw the ball on rollouts, showing quite a lot as a passer instead of relying on his legs to do all the work.
But more importantly, he put together more positive passes consecutively. His very first throw of the night was a beauty to wide receiver Chris Moore, who caught the ball in stride while streaking up the sideline. While that might not be the hardest throw Jackson will have to make, it’s the type of throw that was often off target last season.
But Jackson also had his poor moments. On one play, Jackson rolled to his right but threw across his body to the opposite side of the field. It didn’t end in disaster for him this time, but starting NFL defenders will be ready for throws like that come the regular season. Jackson was also wildly off target on a deep throw, overthrowing his intended receiver by a good 10 yards.
No one should have been expecting Jackson to turn into Tom Brady overnight. However, his steady improvement as a passer should be encouraging. With three more preseason games and more than a month of training camp remaining, Jackson’s growth means we should see him turn some of those lackluster passes and poor decisions into big plays by the time the regular season comes up.
