Everything Ravens Coach Jesse Minter Said About Lamar Jackson And What It Means for Sunday

The rookie head coach is being increasingly cryptic about his superstar, after being chided for the team's messaging about an ongoing injury

Oct 25, 2026; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson (8) looks on during the second quarter against the Cincinnati Bengals at M&T Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Ravens rookie head coach Jesse Minter, now going on a week into quarterback Lamar Jackson’s absence from an ankle injury, was more guarded than ever speaking about the lingering isse after Wednesday’s practice.

Minter spent three weeks calling it a “day-to-day” situation with Jackson even though the two-time MVP said last week it was a high-ankle sprain that was “very, very painful.” Minter would not even specify whether Jackson did any more or less work than he was able to do last week and he repeatedly referred the injury report.

However, it’s pretty obvious that Jackson did not practice fully, as there would be no reason not to specify as such and, again, the injury report was about to be released within the hour of when Minter met the media. Jackson suffered the injury at the end of the first half in Week 4 against the Titans, he did not return to practice until last week in a limited capacity, and Baltimore has continued to blow double-digit leads at an astounding rate without him, now 4-3 heading into a crucial game at Buffalo they are frankly unlikely to win without Jackson.

“He was able to get some work in, but I think that will come out about 4 (pm), I believe,” Minter said about his injured QB. When pressed on the matter about the extent of Jackson’s work Wednesday, he said: “Um, yeah, I think the more you are able to do, and respond from and feel from raises your optimism but, again, we’ll kind of see how it goes through the week.”

When Jackson was brought again, Minter offered: “I think the injury report will kind of say how the practice went.”

What To Make Of That?

Oct 25, 2026; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Baltimore Ravens head coach Jesse Minter reacts during the second quarter against the Cincinnati Bengals at M&T Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Minter is wise to take a more cryptic route given how things transpired last Friday when Jackson spoke to the media for the first time since suffering the injury and spoke to a timeline quite different to what the front office was giving Minter as his public marching orders on the situation (just another ugly public embarrasment for the Ravens ignominious PR chief). The CBS broadcast added to what could only be rightfully perceived as a disconnect from how the team was couching the injury, and how the player himself was speaking about it.

Our instincts and reporting have been far better than the media at large since the moment Jackson suffered the injury, and at this point, with a Week 9 game looming on a short turn around against Jacksonville at home in prime time, we’d be surprised if Jackson played Sunday and suspect the target is now Week 9 – which would be nearly five weeks since the original “day-to-day” injury occurred.

Furthermore, when healthy and expected to play, Jackson meets the media on Wednesday and that did not occur this week. We’ll see whether he speaks on Friday given when he is able to do the rest of the week in practice. If Jackson was going to carry a “full participation” designation there would by no reason for Minter not to speak more directly to it.

Kyle Hamilton, by far the best performer on a struggling defense so far, was among those who did not practice Wednesday (rookie guard Vega Ioane did not either and is expected to miss time with a knee injury). Minter said he “felt pretty good” that some of the players who were unable to work on the field Wednesday could still be back for Week 8.

The Ravens have lost 17 times since 2019 when leading by 10-or-more points and have done it twice in a row against AFC teams and three times this season. General manager Eric DeCosta, who loves to gush about his relationship with Jackson but can’t ever get his contract extension like a competent GM, got to handpick Minter and his novice staff, should have been fired when Harbaugh was, and his job security is a major subplot to the upcoming trade deadline for his latest middling roster.