While they’re the most protected and highest paid, quarterbacks play the most difficult position in football. Trying to win consistently without having stable quarterback play is like holding a lit match, trying to see if the flame will burn out before it burns you. It could work out, in a literal sense, but is very unwise. Avoid neglecting your quarterback position at all costs.
In the first 12 years of the Ravens franchise, Baltimore saw seven different quarterbacks become the team’s leading passer for a season. In those 12 years, they had 15 different starters at quarterback.
Talk about instability.
Enter: Joe Flacco. Entering the 2008 training camp as the 3rd quarterback, he quickly rose to starter by Week 1, and was the quarterback in Baltimore for 137 consecutive games (playoffs included) from 2008-15. Since then, Lamar Jackson was drafted, was the first Raven ever to win league MVP, signed the richest APY contract in football, and enters this season with a real chance at becoming just the 11th player in the history of the sport to win multiple MVP awards.
For a team that was once desperate for answers at the sport’s toughest position, they’re undoubtedly on the right track.
Besides Patrick Mahomes, there’s a short list of quarterbacks with elite talent. Specific rankings will vary, but many will agree that Lamar Jackson is on that short list. Fully healed with re-vamped wide receivers and no contract distractions, Jackson is set to remind the league of who he really is.
While getting a new offensive coordinator could be seen as a disruption to a quarterback’s progress, Todd Monken may actually represent the opposite. The addition of Monken’s new system and streamlined approach figures to, at minimum, clarify the pre-snap process for Jackson and company. That alone is huge, as quarterbacks have so much to sort through, every play, in mere seconds.
As much as he can be, Jackson is primed for his best year ever. This is it. No excuses. As for the other players in Baltimore’s quarterback room, they won’t inspire a lot of excitement with most fans, however each of the other three quarterbacks have started at quarterback for the Ravens in recent years.
Tyler Huntley is the clear-cut no. 2 (no pun intended). His skillset is somewhat similar to Jackson’s, and he’s started eight games for the Ravens, all of which came during playoff pushes. His career completion percentage is 65.6 and his career QB rating is 76.6. Not great, not horrible. Remember, in the event you deploy your backup quarterback, expectations shift from playmaking to avoiding mistakes. As long as Huntley (or whoever the backup is) can avoid a critical lapse, the team should be in good shape.
The third spot will be between Josh Johnson and Anthony Brown. Johnson has played for seven teams in his NFL career but has only started nine games. One of those starts was as a Raven last year. The team lost, but Johnson completed 70 percent of his passes and threw for 304 yards (the 2nd-most of his career).
While Johnson is a 37-year old veteran, Brown turns 25 in July and is entering his 2nd pro season. Brown saw action in two games last year as a rookie: 23 snaps in Baltimore’s 16-14 win at Pittsburgh, and in his first career start, played 78 snaps on the road, losing 27-16. Brown didn’t even play that well against the Bengals, but played against Cincinnati’s starters and still gave the Ravens a chance to win. To forecast how well he would do this year in a fill-in role would be premature, as we just don’t have much of a sample size to evaluate.
However, Eric DeCosta will be tasked with choosing. Does he go with the youth (and inexperience) of Brown or the veteran (and limited) performance of Johnson? Teams can only keep three quarterbacks on their active roster.
There is, of course, a potential situation where neither Johnson nor Brown make the roster, and DeCosta chooses to sign a free agent to be the 3rd (or 2nd) quarterback. A backup quarterback won’t cost a lot, comparatively speaking, but having three other former starters for your team currently on your roster doesn’t necessitate a move, especially considering Baltimore has spent double the league average in free agency this year ($117 million-plus in 1st year cash).
As of Wednesday afternoon, there are five unrestricted free agent quarterbacks: Tom Brady, Teddy Bridgewater, Chase Daniel, Chad Henne, and—you guessed it—Joe Flacco.
I’m just saying. It wouldn’t be the worst idea.
Best case scenario: Jackson stays healthy for the duration, and none of these contingencies have to be implemented. Although, recent seasons suggest a heightened need for preparation in that regard.
Top to bottom, the Ravens quarterback situation is very good. Not perfect, but considering their dynamic defense and stellar special teams, it doesn’t need to be.
Born in Baltimore, Mike had long been drawn to sports of all kinds. Growing up watching Cal Ripken play ever day gave him a great example for which to attack every endeavor he undertakes.
When the Ravens came to town, though, that’s when Mike found his passion. Since that time, he’s tried to gain every bit of knowledge he could. Now as a high school coach, Mike is able to take his film study and appreciation of the game to a new level.
To engage with Mike on social media, follow him on Twitter @MikeFastNFL.