Lamar Jackson & Co. Are Hungrier Than Ever

OWINGS MILLS, Md.—The front end of a Thursday doubleheader brought my 24th team visit, this one on the final day of Baltimore Ravens training camp. Here’s what we got from there …

• There’s very little question that the folks here believe they’re in a sweet spot, with the roster they have—a sentiment that others in the league have heard too. The Ravens are loaded and motivated. And one thing that’s pretty apparent with the group is how the disappointment of the last couple years—be it the heartbreaking divisional round loss in Buffalo last January, or the home AFC title game loss to the Chiefs the year before that—is being channeled by the leaders of the team. With guys like Lamar Jackson, Derrick Henry, Roquan Smith, Tyler Linderbaum, Ronnie Stanley, Kyle Hamilton and Marlon Humphrey, among others, there’s a level of heightened focus and intensity to camp. That isn’t to say it wasn’t there before. But the Ravens see themselves as having knocked on the door long enough, with six playoff appearances in seven years, plus four division titles and two No. 1 seeds in that span. It’s time for the group, without a discernable hole on the roster, to break through.

• If there’s a spot where the strength of the roster is really obvious, it’s probably in the secondary, where the team projects five former first-round picks to start—Humphrey, Nate Wiggins and Jaire Alexander at corner, and Hamilton and rookie Malaki Starks at safety. Having Alexander and Wiggins on the outside will allow the coaches to use Humphrey in the slot, where he’s at his best, more consistently. And Starks’s smarts and versatility give the team more flexibility with its cyborg, Hamilton, whose move to playing free safety more regularly took the defense to a different level last year. The bottom line is DC Zach Orr should be able to do a lot schematically with this unit, both in how he deploys them on the back end and how they should enable creativity in how he rushes with the front. Depth might be worth watching—Baltimore really liked what it saw from sixth-round CBs Robert Longerbeam and Bilhal Kone, but both were lost for the season with camp injuries.

• A couple of young skill players have emerged on offense, too, and it’s worth paying attention to how third-year back Keaton Mitchell and second-year receiver Tez Walker might contribute, given how many guys around Jackson merit touches. Both bring big-play ability to the table. Walker has always had downfield ability, but he’s come back off a redshirt year with better play strength, more polish on his route-running and a better comfort level with the offense. Meanwhile, Mitchell is back after an injury-marred start to his career, flashing real home-run ability. So where will the Ravens find ways to get them the ball in the crowd of Henry, Justice Hill, Zay Flowers, DeAndre Hopkins, Rashod Bateman, Mark Andrews and Isaiah Likely? We’ll see.

• The defensive front is another area where a jolt could come from the younger set. Fourth-year nose tackle Travis Jones started fast, then got hurt last year. Now, he looks determined as a massive, disruptive, hard-to-move big man in a contract year—who played a little like Haloti Ngata used to through camp. And rookie Mike Green, who fell to the second round for off-field reasons in April, has come as advertised as a pass-rusher, is better than expected against the run, and is even showing really good special teams value for a defensive end—showing already that he should soon be a four-down player. Add these two to accomplished vets like Kyle Van Noy and Nnamdi Madubuike, and the front should be in really good shape.

• That brings us to Jackson, who carries more of a playoff burden publicly (fair or unfair) than anyone on the roster. He’s always led his own way, but has been more vocal this year, showing a certain urgency while being a little more demanding of his teammates. He’s earned that and also held himself to a high standard—with his work as a drop-back passer, particularly in his accuracy and the speed with which he’s processing. Believe it or not, after two MVP awards, and a season last year that many deemed worthy of a third, Jackson looks more complete than ever, which can be said for the team he leads, too. If the Ravens have a question, it’s probably depth on the offensive line, with long-time utility man Patrick Mekari gone. And if that’s your only problem, a problem that seemingly everyone this side of Philly has, then you’re in pretty good shape.

More NFL on Sports Illustrated