There's A Strong Case To Be Made For Lamar Jackson Playing In The Preseason

Lamar Jackson has reached a point in his career and in his contract where the preseason was considered out of the question. But should it be?

The juice is probably not worth the squeeze, one could argue, and the risk is probably not worth the reward. Right? I mean that’s what’s been drilled into our heads.

But it doesn’t mean it isn’t worth serious consideration, with this being such a unique and critical time in Ravens history. It doesn’t mean it should be entirely written off, with the architect of this new offense having just turned 30 and never been a part of an install like this and having never called a play before.

Jackson himself, I suspect, would be up for it.

And with Jackson entering what for now certainly looks like a potential walk year, with him having a $90M cap figure on his 2027 contract and 2026 being his last real year here, everything is heightened. The need to maximize everything paramount, and with the future uncertain, it makes you wonder. Jackson is likely to cut off the potential for any in-season extension soon, representing himself and he said repeatedly he is “cool” with his restructured deal, and nothing comes easy for the Ravens when it comes to paying him what it’s worth.

So they’d best do everything possible and everything within reason to get this season off to the best start possible.

They must consider every means to have this offense avoid any extended learning curve. Huge changes are coming with footwork and shifts to a more under-center offense. A renewed emphasis will be placed on pace and cadence, and the propensity for confusion and pre-snap penalties will be high.

Snaps are always at a premium in the summer. Some are much more valuable than others. And the preseason can’t be a total afterthought.

It seems to me this is something that should be kicked around internally and discussed. Seems to me it might be the kind of thing that Declan Doyle, rookie offensive coordinator could benefit from as he plans to try toggling between the sideline and the press box to figure out where its best to deploy his calls from.

We get caught up in how things have been done or how we think they’ve supposed to be done. John Harbaugh was in Baltimore for nearly 20 years and he’d adopted this posture and it becomes accepted. And, yes, rookie head coach Jesse Minter is from that coaching family tree and is heavily influenced by the Harbaugh brothers but we probably shouldn’t take too much for granted or assume too much.

The Norm Here Isn’t The Norm Everywhere

Harbaugh got burned by some ugly preseason injuries – the knee injury from JK Dobbins seemed to put him over the top – and went hard in this direction. But at the same Harbaugh’s mentor, Andy Reid, continues to give the great Patrick Mahomes a legit run in the preseason.

And, wouldn’t you know it, in Chicago last summer, when Doyle was learning for a year on Ben Johnson’s staff after spending his entire coaching career with Sean Payton, quarterback Caleb Williams was absolutely a part of the preseason prep for the Bears. He, too got a run, and seemed to benefit from it.

What do you think Doyle’s primary mentor, Payton, did in the preseason? How did he handle the workload? Hall of Fame quarterback Drew Brees absolutely played in the preseason and Doyle was a part of all those discussions and all those decisions. He wasn’t making them and he wasn’t at the core of them, but he heard it all.

I’m not saying it must happen. Not pretending it’s the end all and be all. But for the first time in a long time I could be convinced there is merit in it.

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