Lamar Jackson
Overall talent, skillset, and likely progression:
Lamar Jackson’s growth from year one to year two has been massive. Jackson went from being a fun player to watch to being one of the most electric and dangerous players in the entire league. Jackson has been more willing to throw from the pocket in 2019 and is more considerate when deciding when to bail and tuck it and run. While Jackson’s deep ball is not as good as that of Mahomes or Desaun Watson, he is very good in the short passing game—perhaps even better than the other two in this regard. Obviously, Jackson is also the best rusher of the bunch.
It is a little bit difficult to gauge how Jackson will progress in the coming seasons because of how steep his growth curve has been from year one to year two. That being said, Lamar Jackson’s ability to throw the ball has been getting better every week. With the right scheme and weapons, I would anticipate his ability to throw will get better every season.
Forecasting Jackson’s future:
Jackson is still in the honeymoon phase of his career. He has replaced Joe Flacco and is the complete antithesis of what Baltimore had come to expect offensively. In his second year, similarly to Patrick Mahomes, Jackson has shined and at times looked unstoppable. That being said, I would expect the Ravens and Jackson to regress at some point unless they can make some quick fixes.
Jackson himself can carry the team. I have my doubts as to how long he can sustain this pace in the running game. He is undoubtedly tough and plays with swagger but he certainly takes more hits from linebackers than the average quarterback. Jackson has made huge strides in the passing game and will likely need to continue to do so in order to have some longevity. Further, he will likely need to prove that he is not a “system” quarterback in 2020.
With a lot of bad teams in the NFL and a particular interest in offensive-minded coaches, it seems like a near certainty that the Baltimore Ravens will be without their offensive coordinator, Greg Roman, next season. In order for Jackson’s success to continue, the Ravens will need to keep up a good scheme for the speed on the offense. Further, if Jackson is to sustain this incredible success, he will need the offensive line to continue to be dominant and that may be difficult with Marshall Yanda’s age and looming retirement.
Baltimore is certainly capable with a couple of young receivers at the helm. Jackson loves his tight ends, Mark Andrews, Hayden Hurst, and Nick Boyle. I believe that in order to sustain and expand his success, the Ravens will need more consistency from the wide receivers. Marquise Brown is explosive, but Jackson needs a solid #1 receiver to keep the offense at its best. That being said, I believe that Lamar Jackson is a phenomenal player and one that will be successful for a long time in the AFC North, where the other teams are trending downward.