Greg Roman: Extra Practice Time Vital for Tyler Huntley
OWINGS MILLS, Md. — Ravens backup quarterback Tyler Huntley was able to run with the first team in practice all week with Lamar Jackson sidelined with an ankle injury.
Huntley has led the offense in two games this season but the conditions were not ideal.
In Week 11 against the Bears, Huntley had about 90 minutes to prepare as the starter as Jackson dealt with an illness and was eventually ruled inactive.
Last week against the Browns, Huntley had to enter in the first quarter when Jackson injured his ankle.
This week against the Packers, he will be better prepared if Jackson misses the game.
“We feel really confident about Tyler," offensive coordinator Greg Roman said. "Whether he starts the game, or enters the game at some point, we feel really good about him [with] the direction he’s going and the development he’s shown. I think he’s doing a lot of really good things, and we just have to clean up some things. But really, I think everybody believes in him. Lamar has won quite a few games, and Tyler [Huntley] obviously won the Chicago game. I think he’s a winner, and everybody believes in him.”
The Ravens do have slightly different game plans for Huntley and Jackson. However, Roman does not have to completely overhaul the playbook, which obviously helps with the preparation.
"There are definitely some subtleties – very similar, but some subtle differences," Roman said. "The Chicago game was a great instance, that was like 90 minutes before. So, you start shuffling your papers a little bit when that happens, but it happens in the course of the game, too. So, it’s vital to be out here in practice with them, and we’ve had plenty of opportunity with Tyler [Huntley] to really get a feel for what he likes and what direction we want to go. So, I think we’ve had ample opportunity for that with him; we’ve been very fortunate in that regard.”
In a 16-13 win over the Bears in Week 11, Huntley made his first NFL start and completed 26 of 36 passes for 219 yards, while adding 40 yards on the ground, Huntley also led a five-play, 72-yard game-winning drive with 1:33 remaining in the fourth quarter to help Baltimore secure its first-ever victory in Chicago.
In a 24-22 loss to Cleveland last week, Huntley pulled the Ravens to within two points with an 8-yard touchdown pass to tight end Mark Andrews. Safety Chuck Clark then recovered the onside kick to give the Ravens a chance to win the game. However, Cleveland's defense managed a sack and Huntley's pass to rookie Rashod Bateman was short on a fourth-and-6.
Huntley was 27 of 38 for 270 yards with the score. He also lost two fumbles.
Huntley will face a bigger challenge this week against the Packers and Aaron Rodgers.
"Everybody doesn’t take advantage of their opportunity, but he certainly has – that’s the key in pro football," Roman said.
