Ravens Confident Huntley Can Lead Offense
OWINGS MILLS, Md. — Tyler Huntley is affectionately known as "Snoop" around his teammates.
Huntley earned the nickname in high school because resembled the rapper Snoop Dogg.
The moniker stuck and he's embraced that cool role under pressure.
Huntley might get the opportunity to start this week against the Green Bay Packers with Lamar Jackson still dealing with a sprained ankle.
If Huntley has to play, he has all the confidence of his teammates and coaches.
"If you watched every preseason game, that kid was special out there," linebacker Justin Houston said. "He made several plays, and he’s the reason why we won all the preseason games. So, he’s a good player. If he keeps working, he can be great.”
Huntley showed he is a capable backup.
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.
In a 16-13 win over the Bears in Week 11, Huntley made his first NFL start after Jackson was too sick to play. He 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.
"I think just the ability to come in and still perform at a high level," said wide receiver Rashod Bateman, who caught seven passes for 103 yards from Huntley against the Browns. "When [Jackson] goes down or anything, [for] a lot of people, a lot of question marks go up in the air of if this offense can still run without him. But I think [untley] comes in and proves to us that we’re not just a one-man show; we’re a team, and we can still operate at a high level. So, I’m very impressed with him and his confidence thus far.”
Huntley played in 37 career games (33 starts), missing eight due to injury at Utah. He went 23-10 as a starter, ranking third all-time in career wins by a Utes quarterback. Huntley completed 574-of-854 passes for 7,351 yards, 46 touchdowns, and 20 interceptions, adding 1,146 rushing yards and 16 scores.
"He looked like he could throw," Ravens coach John Harbaugh said about his initial impressions of Huntley. "Obviously, he’s a really good athlete, hard worker and talented guy, but you could see that he could spin it. That’s kind of where it starts for a quarterback. So, when we saw that in person, we felt like we had something to work with.”
Huntley was signed by the Ravens as an undrafted rookie and took over the main backup job last season when Trace McSorley was injured, He flashed in his limited opportunities and played the entire fourth quarter in the divisional playoff game against the Buffalo Bills.
Huntley completed three of his five pass attempts for 15 yards and ran for another 23 yards on 10 carries.
Now, he's much more comfortable in the Ravens' offense. He's taking first-team reps this week in practice.
However, Jackson has not been ruled out.
"Him getting the reps today, if he has to play on Sunday, will be a benefit," Harbaugh said. "We’ll see where it goes from there. He may play [or] he may not be playing depending on Lamar’s situation.”
