OWINGS MILLS, Md. — Lamar Jackson didn’t so much as jog out to the practice field Wednesday as he bounded on it, bouncing up and down in rhythm as he and his fellow Baltimore Ravens quarterbacks joined organized team activities.
Jackson looked noticeably thinner, but just how much weight he lost this offseason is unclear. He said after practice that he was “2-something,” declining to reveal his current weight. He also looked energized to be back on the field and with his teammates.
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More than anything, Wednesday’s practice officially represented Jackson turning the page after he spent part of the offseason lamenting the offense’s shortcomings in a 17-10 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC championship.
When asked how long it took him to get over that loss, Jackson quickly responded, “Now.”
“I believe that just motivated us throughout the whole offseason,” Jackson said. “People are still talking about it; us players still talk about it. It definitely left a bitter taste in our mouths just being that close. We worked so hard in getting there and didn’t do what we wanted to do, didn’t fulfill our dream. Definitely a little chip on our shoulder.”
It was an offseason of change for the Ravens, who lost several assistant coaches and a litany of key players. However, for the franchise’s star quarterback, it was seemingly uneventful. Of course, nothing was going to match the previous year, when Jackson was at a contract impasse with the Ravens until late April, complete with a trade demand and all.
It was probably telling that the prevailing questions Wednesday in Jackson’s first media availability since the night of the Chiefs’ loss concerned his weight. Jackson said during a recent Complex Sports Instagram segment that he’s down to 205 pounds, which would be his lowest listed weight since he entered the league in 2018. Jackson played at 215 last year and 230 in 2021.
Jackson, the two-time NFL MVP, said he lost the weight so he can be “more agile and be able to move more.”
“I feel great,” Jackson said. “It feels great to be out here with my guys, grinding and getting better.”
It’s a gr8 day❗ pic.twitter.com/2J229qCakI
— Baltimore Ravens (@Ravens) May 22, 2024
Jackson spent a chunk of Wednesday’s practice handing the ball off to the team’s big free-agent addition, running back Derrick Henry. He joked that it puts him in the mode of a fan.
“I just get the ball and, ‘Go, big guy, go,’” Jackson joked.
He also expressed excitement about Year 2 in Todd Monken’s offense, saying he feels more comfortable with the coordinator’s play-calling patterns and expectations. He said he’s already noticed changes with the offense that he likes, and that will require him to learn “more verbiage.”
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Jackson seemed to understand that it’s largely on the offense to get Baltimore over the postseason hump. With Jackson as the starting quarterback, the Ravens have made five playoff trips in six seasons. They’ve lost in the wild-card round twice, the divisional round twice and in the AFC championship once. In the four playoff losses that Jackson has played in — Tyler Huntley started the wild-card loss to Cincinnati following the 2022 regular season — the Ravens have averaged just 10.5 points per game.
“I believe it hurts more losing before the Super Bowl than actually being a part of it, because we worked so hard for 17 weeks, plus the little playoff games, and we get to a game away and lose,” Jackson said. “We didn’t really put any points on the board, and we were just scoring 30 points against crazy teams — great defenses. Don’t get me wrong, that’s a great defense as well, but we had played the top-ranked defenses. We just have to finish. We have to find a way to move the ball in the right direction and put points on the board because our defense did their thing the whole night.”
Solid attendance
The Ravens had 78 players participating in Wednesday’s voluntary practice and several other guys watching from the sideline.
The list of Ravens not participating included quarterback Emory Jones; running back Keaton Mitchell (knee); wide receivers Nelson Agholor and Deonte Harty; offensive lineman Patrick Mekari; outside linebackers Kyle Van Noy and Adisa Isaac (hamstring); defensive linemen Michael Pierce and Rayshad Nichols; defensive backs Marcus Williams and Beau Brade (ankle); and kicker Justin Tucker. Mitchell, Isaac, Pierce and Nichols were among those watching from the sideline.
Henry continues to impress
There was a play in Monday’s practice where wide receiver Zay Flowers learned that as much as he’s watched Henry on TV over the years, playing with him is going to take some getting used to.
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“I think he had a stretch zone,” Flowers said. “He was running and I turned around, and he was right in front of me. I was like, ‘Oh!’ and kind of jumped out of the way. Then, he ran back up to me. He was like, ‘I heard you scream, Oh!’ I was like, ‘Yes, I have to get out of the way!’ It’s way different seeing him in person.”
At several points in Wednesday’s practice, Henry burst through the line of scrimmage, quickly arriving at the second level. These are non-contact practices, but the decisiveness and explosiveness with which Henry runs have still been on display. As Ravens coach John Harbaugh noted later, that’s only part of the package.
“One thing about Derrick — one of many things — he works,” Harbaugh said. “He is a worker, 100 percent every day, locked in, asks questions, texts his coach at night, ready to go at practice, in the weight room, training room. Very impressed. This guy is a true pro, ultimate pro.”
What the people have been waiting to see 🔥@Lj_era8 ➡️ @KingHenry_2 pic.twitter.com/JLGOOGrYds
— Baltimore Ravens (@Ravens) May 22, 2024
Kyle Hamilton gets challenged
The third-year safety was barking orders to his defensive teammates before plays. After certain plays, Hamilton was speaking to defensive leader Roquan Smith about what he was seeing. Now one of the highest-profile players on the defense after garnering All-Pro honors last year, Hamilton understands he’ll have an elevated leadership role this season.
That was evident during Wednesday’s practice as Hamilton was one of the most vocal players on the field and the sideline. He acknowledged after the workout that the coaching staff has challenged him to take on a more active leadership role.
“Whether that’s vocal or actually doing stuff on the field, being vocal on the field, off the field and stuff like that, that’s something that the coaches have challenged me (to do) this year,” Hamilton said. “I’m still a young guy — relatively — but with power comes responsibility, and heavy is the head that wears the crown. You play well, you’re expected to lead a little more, and I think I’m trying to get a little better at that and get used to it.”
Other thoughts
• Harbaugh confirmed that the Ravens will have joint practices with the Green Bay Packers on Aug. 22, two days before the teams meet in a Saturday afternoon preseason game at Lambeau Field. Harbaugh didn’t rule out having joint practices with either the Atlanta Falcons or Philadelphia Eagles, Baltimore’s other two preseason opponents, but he said there’s nothing currently planned.
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• Mitchell watched practice from the sideline, but Harbaugh made it clear that the speedy second-year running back will not be returning anytime soon. Mitchell, who tore up his knee in a game in December against the Jacksonville Jaguars, won’t be back for training camp or Week 1. “It’s some time during the season,” Harbaugh said. “It’s not like right around the corner. We shouldn’t be biting our fingernails, (saying), ‘Is he going to get back?’ But I will say, he’s on schedule, maybe ahead of schedule. He’s doing very well.” Harbaugh said Mitchell will start jogging on an anti-gravity treadmill next week.
• Harbaugh confirmed that the Ravens, who are looking to add safety depth, had veteran Jamal Adams in for a free-agent visit on Tuesday. Harbaugh said he got to know Adams during the 2020 Pro Bowl and felt the two built a nice rapport. He said he was impressed with Adams’ mindset Wednesday, but when asked about the possibility of signing the 28-year-old, Harbaugh said, “We’ll see.”
• Flowers said he spent the offseason focused on football and trying to be a better person. Flowers was investigated in January over an alleged domestic incident, but Baltimore County Police suspended the investigation and did not press charges. The NFL also opted to not suspend Flowers, saying that it found “insufficient evidence.”
“It was a process that me and my team had to go through,” Flowers said Wednesday. “I respect the question, but there’s really nothing else I can add. I’m just looking forward to the season and getting better and building my reputation and showing the Ravens community and the younger generation that I’m here and I’m ready to go and be a better person, be a good person.”
• The play of the day in Wednesday’s workout was authored by veteran linebacker Malik Harrison, who made a leaping interception in the middle of the field on a Josh Johnson pass and then hustled toward the end zone to spur a defensive celebration.
• Malik Cunningham, who the Ravens signed off the New England Patriots’ practice squad in December to add quarterback depth, was working exclusively with the wide receivers Wednesday. Ravens officials have been noncommittal about whether they view Cunningham as a quarterback or receiver. After re-signing Johnson this offseason and drafting Devin Leary, it appears that it’s the latter.
(Photo: Kenneth K. Lam / Baltimore Sun / Tribune News Service via Getty Images)
Jeff Zrebiec is a senior writer for The Athletic covering the Baltimore Ravens. Before joining The Athletic in 2018, he spent the previous 18 years as a writer for The Baltimore Sun, 13 of them on the Orioles or Ravens beats. The New Jersey native is a graduate of Loyola University in Baltimore. Follow Jeff on Twitter @jeffzrebiec
