The Ravens Under-Center Revolution Was On Full Display In Preseason Opener

The Ravens offense is making fundamental changes to formation use in 2026, with rookie offensive coordinator Declan Doyle’s influences coming to the fore.

Even in a preseason game in which just figuring out where to call plays from was under review for Doyle, with a largely vanilla approach on a night when almost every snap was taken by quarterbacks Baltimore never expect to actually play in a regular season game this season (or probably any other), there were glimpses of what is to come and how Doyle wants to operate.

The Ravens are morphing, in a major way, from an offense that was in the shotgun or pistol more than any team in the NFL since Lamar Jackson took over as their full-time, full-season starter in 2019, to one that will undoubtedly carry more of the hallmarks of a Sean Payton (Broncos) or Ben Johnson (Bears) or even Sean McVay (Rams) offense, attacking defense with a panorama of under center runs and designed dropback passes and boots and play action shots from under center as well.

As a team, Ravens quarterbacks dropped back 16 times under center in a 24-7 dismantling of the Eagles, going 13-for-15 for 132 yards, and if not for an interception in the endzone on a play developmental quarterback Joe Fagnano (who was remarkably good) said he wants back the score would have been even more lopsided.

And despite this being largely a roster filled with kids just out of college – where pistol and shotgun concepts are essentially all they see – the Ravens also ran the ball 30 times under center – something they did as a team one time since 2019 in the regular season (at Green Bay late last season with Lamar Jackson injured) and as a team they ran the ball just six times out of the gun; ratios like that did not exist around here previously.

And perhaps even more significantly, the individual players relying on their new philosophy and footwork, with the need to stay in sync while doing so, avoided major pitfalls. The Ravens makeshift offensive line and tight ends who were struggling in practice avoided pre-snap woes and penalties and false starts, and took immediately to these new concepts. It was a decidedly smooth operation, that might not carry over when games count (and opponents play their best players and the Ravens lean on their starters) but this dress rehearsal revealed core changes that are on the way.

"We want to own the pre-snap operation really in all three phases,” rookie head coach Jesse Minter said. “Huge point of emphasis for just how we operate. Especially for the first game with a bunch of guys, definitely pleased with that. Even the couple we had — those are good learning experiences, things to learn from. But overall, man, tough, disciplined performance from our guys that we can build on."

Why It Matters

McVay told us on “The Daily Flock Show” why he can’t imagine running his offense with the five-and-seven step drops without being under center. Payton explained on the show how much it aids play action and dictating how defenders react instead of dictate and how it keeps his offenses balances (and Doyle spent most of his pro career working for Payton).

Doyle himself raved about how Jackson was adapted to a new tapestry being thrown at him, in terms of being under center so much and adapting to a faster pace and different cadence and verbiage. And it seemed like no problem for No. 2 QB Snoop Huntley, who completed all three attempts under center including getting draft picks Ja’Kobi Lane (third-round receiver) and Matthew Hibner (fourth-round tight end) involved being backed up deep in the first quarter with successive picks ups under center, with play action.

“Very communicative through the headset,” Huntley said of Doyle in his play-calling debut, “… He did a great job out there, and I know he is just going to get better at what he’s doing.”

An offensive line that wasn’t loaded with individually brilliant pass blockers and was thrown together would naturally benefit from being able to dictate more under center and this hodgepodge clearly did. None of the quarterbacks was under duress, the ball largely came out quickly and the lead back in this game, converted receiver Adam Randall (just one year of running back at Clemson) did his best work under center, running nine times for 37 yards (solid 4.1/carry) with a touchdown when attacking under center.

The volume is only going to be dialed up and amplified with the Ravens get their best athletes all on the field together within these concepts in the regular season. There is nothing they say in any way Saturday that is going to slow down this transition.

“I thought our offensive line did a really good job,” Minter said. “It really helps when you can run the ball, then you can run the movements, and you can run play actions, and it slows down the pass rush. So overall, just a really, really nice job by the offense in general of kind of keeping control of the game — which helps that — but then the offensive line in particular for playing as physical as they played."

Again, a 5:1 ratio of runs under center verses out of the gun is no fluke. It’s no coincidence.

It’s a massive point of emphasis and it’s all by design. How much carries over from week to week when the games get real, will vary based on health and opponent to some degree. But the Ravens are going to end up among the NFL leaders in under-center rushes (Derrick Henry did it more than any player during his time with the Titans) and Jackson led the NFL in under-center passing EPA last season (Expected Points Added) and Baltimore’s efficiencies running and passing should spike when they lean into it in 2026 in all quadrants of the field.

“I was just really, really impressed by how physical we were up front,” Randall noted, with three running backs combining for 28 yards on 31 total carries. “I think as running backs, we [rushed for] over 120 yards. So, I just love that we were really physical in the trenches, fast on the outside and making plays. That is just what the coaching staff has kind of instilled in us, and we are just going to continue to build on that."

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