Baltimore Ravens

Baltimore Ravens head coach John Harbaugh told reporters on Friday that star quarterback Lamar Jackson is "progressing well" but added it's a "fair assumption" that Tyler Huntley will start Week 17's matchup against the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Jackson was later ruled out for Sunday night's game.

It will be the fourth straight game Jackson has missed as he recovers from a knee injury.

Offensive coordinator Greg Roman noted Thursday that he would love to see Jackson get in some game time before the playoffs, if possible.

Ravens OC Greg Roman said he would “love to see (Lamar Jackson) get some work in” before the playoffs.

“But you can’t rush Mother Nature,” Roman said. “We have to make sure he’s right at the same time.”

Jackson has been sidelined since hurting his knee 25 days ago. pic.twitter.com/AkYpWgk9Lq

— Jamison Hensley (@jamisonhensley) December 29, 2022

Ravens OC Greg Roman said Lamar Jackson is “definitely engaged” while sidelined with a knee injury.

“With our backup QBs, we’ve been able to go 3-1,” Roman said. “I’m sure Lamar, in his own ways, is really contributing to that.” pic.twitter.com/s0pxQ7VyAw

— Jamison Hensley (@jamisonhensley) December 29, 2022

Jackson, 25, was having a solid season, throwing for 2,242 yards, 17 touchdowns and seven interceptions while completing 62.3 percent of his passes and taking 26 sacks. The Ravens are 8-4 in his starts.

With Huntley under center, the team has more than treaded water, going 2-1 when he's been called into starting duty. The 24-year-old backup hasn't been asked to do too much through the air, throwing for 528 yards, a score and two picks, but he has completed a solid 67 percent of his passes and only taken six sacks.

Harbaugh said of Huntley:

"It's never too big for him. He operates well, he makes plays while he's under pressure, duress, he manages the situations of games well. I just love the way he plays the position. I think he continues to improve every time he goes out. It's Tyler. We're past that. We're not at 'What surprises you? What impress you?' We expect him to play well."

The result has been a 10-5 Ravens team that will win the AFC North if it can win out against the Steelers and the Cincinnati Bengals. The Bengals sit atop the division at 11-4, but the Ravens would hold the head-to-head tiebreaker against Cincy with a Week 18 win.

It remains to be seen who will be under center for the Ravens in that potentially crucial matchup.

The Baltimore Ravens are reportedly planning to resume contract talks with quarterback Lamar Jackson at the end of the 2022 season.

According to Mike Preston of the Baltimore Sun, the Ravens will attempt to work out a long-term deal with Jackson after failing to do so prior to the 2022 season. If they can't, they have the option of placing the franchise on him and paying him an estimated $45 million in 2023, or they could tag and trade him.

Jackson has missed the Ravens' last three games with a knee injury, and he has not practiced this week, meaning he is trending toward missing a fourth consecutive game when Baltimore faces the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday night.

Even without Jackson, the Ravens have continued to win and remain in the AFC North divisional title race. Backup Tyler Huntley led Baltimore to a 10-9 win over the Denver Broncos after replacing the injured Jackson and also beat the Steelers and Atlanta Falcons, although he fell to the Cleveland Browns.

Despite Baltimore's success, the Ravens clearly have a far less dynamic offense when Jackson is out, as Huntley has thrown for only 341 yards, one touchdown and one interception in his three starts.

In 12 games this season, Jackson has an 8-4 record and has completed 62.3 percent of his passes for 2,242 yards, 17 touchdowns and seven interceptions. Most impressively, he has rushed for 764 yards and three scores as well.

While Jackson is a two-time Pro Bowler, one-time first-team All-Pro and was the 2019 NFL MVP, there are some concerns surrounding him.

Jackson has gotten the Ravens to the playoffs four times, including this season, but he only has a postseason record of 1-3.

That is something that can easily change and evolve over time, but there is also the subject of injury issues, which have cropped up over the past two seasons.

Jackson missed five games last season, which may have ultimately cost the Ravens a playoff berth, and he is now on the precipice of missing his fourth game this season.

His fearless style of play puts him in harm's way and results in him taking more hits than most quarterbacks, so it is fair to wonder if durability will continue to be a problem moving forward.

Despite that, it is difficult to envision the Ravens moving on from Jackson, as he is highly productive when healthy, and there doesn't figure to be any clear upgrade available to them in the near future.

Getting a deal done may take some compromise from both sides, but it is undoubtedly in the best interest of the Ravens to lock Jackson up as soon as possible.

Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson could return from his knee injury next week, but it could come down to the team's playoff standing, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network.

The Ravens want to test him in "football-related movements" before clearing him to return, but Rapoport noted "a decision also could depend on where things stand in the playoff picture."

At 9-5, Baltimore is currently the No. 5 seed in the AFC. It could clinch a playoff berth in some scenarios in Week 16. The team might be more cautious with Jackson if it is already guaranteed to make the postseason and the AFC North is out of reach.

Conversely, a loss Saturday against the Atlanta Falcons could push the Ravens to use Jackson sooner.

The 2019 MVP sprained the PCL in his knee in a Week 13 win over the Denver Broncos and was later categorized as week-to-week by head coach John Harbaugh, who would not rule him out for the season. Jackson went on to miss Weeks 14 and 15, while Tyler Huntley started in his place.

Any injury to Jackson is cause for concern, especially for a Ravens squad that has relied on him heavily this year. The 25-year-old has completed 62.3 percent of his passes for 2,242 yards and 17 touchdowns against seven interceptions in 12 games. He has also rushed for 764 yards and three scores.

Baltimore is 1-1 in Jackson's absence this season, although Huntley has thrown zero touchdown passes in two starts and has only one rushing score.

The 24-year-old Utah product also started four games for Baltimore in 2021 and appeared in seven games overall. He completed 64.9 percent of his passes for 1,081 yards and three touchdowns against four interceptions, in addition to rushing for 294 yards and two scores.

The Baltimore Ravens are closely monitoring the health of star quarterback Lamar Jackson, and for good reason. Jackson, who is dealing with a knee injury, has missed Baltimore's last two games. The Ravens are trying to keep pace with the Cincinnati Bengals in the AFC North but have gone 1-1 without him, losing to the Cleveland Browns and squeaking by the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Jackson's injury could also heavily impact his future in Baltimore, and not for the most obvious of reasons.

First, let's dive into what's immediately ahead and what's at stake.

Baltimore (9-5) sits a game behind Cincinnati in the AFC North, but it holds the first head-to-head tiebreaker. If the Ravens can win out at home against the Atlanta Falcons and Pittsburgh and in Cincinnati in Week 18, they'll claim the AFC North crown and host a playoff game.

It's unknown whether Jackson will make his return in Week 16.

John Harbaugh declined to say whether Ravens QB Lamar Jackson will return this week after missing two games with a knee injury.

Harbaugh said he is going to "climb behind the barricade" of not divulging injury information because of competitive reasons.

— Jamison Hensley (@jamisonhensley) December 19, 2022

Could the Ravens get past Atlanta without Jackson? Maybe, but they fell flat with Tyler Huntley under center against Cleveland. Baltimore ran the ball well but couldn't pass when it needed to. Huntley finished just 17-of-30 for 138 yards with an interception.

Unlike the Browns, Atlanta has been respectable against the run, ranking 11th in yards per carry allowed (4.3).

The Ravens cannot afford a slip-up against Atlanta, or any team, if they hope to guarantee themselves a playoff bid. Baltimore cannot clinch a playoff spot in Week 16 with a win alone. Every loss the Ravens accumulate opens the door for another team to push them out of the postseason.

This is exactly how things unfolded in 2021 when Jackson missed the final four weeks with an ankle injury (he missed a fifth during the season with an illness). The two-time Pro Bowler was injured early in Week 14, and Baltimore fell from 8-4 to 8-9 and missed the playoffs.

Things could shape up for an eerily similar run if Jackson cannot return before season's end.

Regardless of how things unfold in 2022, missing extended time late in back-to-back seasons will likely be a factor when the quarterback and the Ravens negotiate his next contract in the offseason.

Jackson is slated to become a free agent in March. According to NFL Media's Ian Rapoport, he seeks a fully guaranteed contract like the one Deshaun Watson received from the rival Browns.

"Fully guaranteed money is believed to be at the heart of the issue," Rapoport wrote in September. "Jackson is seeking as close to $230 million as possible, choosing to play on the fifth-year option of his rookie contract until he gets his desired deal."

Watson didn't play in 2021 and missed the first 11 games of this season while serving a suspension for violation of the league's personal conduct policy after 25 women filed lawsuits accusing him of sexual assault or misconduct.

Watson and the Browns faced questions about his character and his ability to be an elite franchise quarterback after a lengthy layoff when he got his deal. The only question around Jackson—who was, by the way, the unanimous 2019 MVP—is his durability. And that has only become a concern over the past two years.

Though it's not as if Jackson plays recklessly, his dual-threat play style exposes him to more contact than a traditional pocket passer might face. Some contingent of the Ravens front office might view his injury history as a reason not to guarantee the entirety of his deal.

Franchise owner Steve Bisciotti has gone on record as not being a fan of fully guaranteed deals.

"To me, that's something that is groundbreaking, and it'll make negotiations harder with others," Bisciotti told reporters in March.

In reality, though, Jackson's late-season absences tilt the leverage in his favor.

Baltimore has spent the better part of five seasons crafting an offense to suit Jackson and his unique skill set. The Ravens have eschewed a true No. 1 receiver because Jackson can dissect defenses using star tight end Mark Andrews and a handful of complementary guys. They've built a committee backfield instead of finding an All-Pro ball-carrier because Jackson is a proven 1,000-yard rusher.

J.K. Dobbins and Gus Edwards are fine complementary backs, but neither has proved himself to be (or remained healthy enough to be) a true featured back.

Baltimore traded a Pro Bowl offensive tackle in Orlando Brown because with Jackson's ability to escape, the line doesn't have to be elite at every position.

The problem is that the team Baltimore has constructed doesn't work without Jackson—even if the Ravens want to pretend it can.

"I've got confidence in everybody," head coach John Harbaugh told reporters Monday when asked about the offense's struggles. "We have great coaches and great players at the highest level, battling every single day to get everything as good as it can be."

It won't be as good as it can be with anyone other than Jackson under center. Games without him have proved that. Huntley can escape the pocket, be a dual threat and run Baltimore's offense, but he doesn't see the field as clearly as Jackson.

Take this missed touchdown opportunity against Cleveland as an example:

Mark Andrews hasn't scored a touchdown since Week 6, but there have been opportunities. Snoop missed a shot over the top here in the red zone. pic.twitter.com/syBsUoxXhj

— Ryan Mink (@ryanmink) December 20, 2022

Over the past two weeks, Huntley has gone 25-of-42 for 226 yards and an interception. If the Steelers hadn't lost their starting quarterback, Kenny Pickett, to a concussion in Week 14, Huntley would probably be 0-2 this season. He went 1-3 as a starter in 2021.

It's not as if the Ravens will find a suitable replacement for this offense in free agency either. Impending free agents like Geno Smith, Mike White and Jimmy Garoppolo don't come close to mirroring Jackson's skill set.

Could Baltimore try its luck in the 2023 draft? Sure, a player like Bryce Young or Anthony Richardson might become a franchise quarterback, but it's a crapshoot. Why take such a huge risk at the game's most important position when a 25-year-old franchise quarterback is in the building?

The Ravens shouldn't take that risk, and Jackson knows it. This is why he can essentially tell the Ravens, "Give me the long-term contract I want or have fun trying to rebuild without me."

And the Ravens would have to rebuild a lot to be successful with a different quarterback. It wouldn't be cheap.

Consider the cost of signing a quality dual-threat back like impending free agent Kareem Hunt and acquiring a top-end receiver like, say, DK Metcalf. Hunt has a projected market value of $6.9 million annually. Metcalf just signed an extension worth $24 million annually. Now add in the cost of a quarterback like Smith, who has a projected market value of $36.1 million annually.

That's $67 million in annual salary just to start transitioning to an offense that can be high-level without Jackson.

Or the Ravens can pay Jackson $45 million-plus annually, guarantee his contract and continue to build their offense.

The alternative to paying Jackson what he wants or starting over is using the franchise tag and locking in the Louisville product on a year-to-year basis. That might be viewed as a prudent move, given Jackson's injuries, but it's not cap-friendly.

The 2022 tag value for quarterbacks was $29.7 million. That number will rise significantly in 2023—especially if Jackson is given the exclusive tag—and would carry a minimum 20 percent raise in 2024 if he is tagged a second time.

An exclusive franchise tag for Lamar Jackson in 2023 currently calculates to $45.4M (thanks in large part to Deshaun Watson's $55M cap hit).

A tag in 2024 would then be $54.4M.

2022: $23M
2023: $45.4M
2024: $54.4M
= $122.8M

Russell Wilson just locked in $124M over that span.

— Spotrac (@spotrac) September 6, 2022

Tagging Jackson for the next two years will likely cost Baltimore $100 million in guaranteed money. Giving Watson $230 million guaranteed for an extra three seasons doesn't seem as bad in comparison—especially with quarterback contracts consistently on the rise.

This is assuming Jackson won't refuse to play on the franchise tag, which he easily could. He can point to his injuries, as well as the torn ACL suffered by Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray, and decide that it's less of a risk to sit for a year.

Watson got paid after sitting out a season, which leaves Baltimore with little leverage.

What are the Ravens going to do? Tell Jackson they're content to be an also-ran in a division poised to be dominated by Joe Burrow and the Bengals if he doesn't play? Threaten to start over and forge a more traditional offense while hoping for the best?

What the Ravens cannot do is point to their on-field success without Jackson and tell him that they don't need him. That success hasn't come, and they do.

While injuries are unfortunate and Jackson would undoubtedly rather be playing, his recent time off will work in his favor next spring. If Baltimore hopes to have the sustained success it has enjoyed with a healthy Jackson—three playoff appearances in his first three seasons—it'll have to pay the man what he wants.

After his release by the Green Bay Packers on Monday, veteran wide receiver Sammy Watkins has quickly found a new home, albeit a familiar one.

NFL Network's Tom Pelissero reported Tuesday that Watkins was claimed off waivers by the Baltimore Ravens, whom he played for during the 2021 season.

Watkins failed to make much of an impact during his short time in Green Bay. He recorded 13 catches for 206 yards in nine games this season as he ceded playing time to Packers rookie receivers Christian Watson and Romeo Doubs.

The move to add Watkins comes after the Ravens reportedly suffered another blow to their already depleted receiving corps. Pelissero noted that wideout Devin Duvernay left Tuesday's practice because of a foot injury and "there is concern it could be significant." He's been placed on injured reserve.

Baltimore is already without Rashod Bateman, who is on injured reserve after season-ending foot surgery.

In his lone year with the Ravens, Watkins appeared in 13 games and caught 27 passes for 394 yards and a touchdown. However, his familiarity with Baltimore star quarterback Lamar Jackson, when he returns from a knee sprain, should benefit the team's offense.

The No. 4 overall pick by the Buffalo Bills in 2014, Watkins has not proved himself as a consistent No. 1 receiver. Having also spent time with the Los Angeles Rams and Kansas City Chiefs, he recorded over 1,000 yards just once in 2015. Since that year, the 29-year-old has not reached 700 receiving yards in a season.

The Ravens (9-5) will have to hope that Watkins can produce as they try to hold on to their spot in the playoffs. Baltimore will host the Atlanta Falcons (5-9) at M&T Bank Stadium on Christmas Eve.

The fans who want Baltimore Ravens offensive coordinator Greg Roman to be fired won't be getting their wish right now.

Head coach John Harbaugh declined to entertain any questions Monday about whether he plans to reshuffle his coaching staff.

We're not getting into all that. I mean, you guys can talk about all that and I respect that. I love the fans talking about everything they can talk about. We're together man. We're a team. We're spending all of our time getting ready for the Atlanta Falcons with every ounce of energy and fiber we got with a bunch of very, very good people at what they do, who understand everything about our team better than anybody else possibly could. You know the end of the bar talk conversation is for the people sitting at the end of the bar.

Some within the fanbase are clearly fed up. Pieces of paper calling for Roman's firing were littered outside of the team facility in Owings Mills, Maryland. Ravens outside linebacker Tyus Bowser shared a video of the scene before deleting it.

Ravens HC John Harbaugh says he’s talked to Tyus Bowser about this instastory video. Tyus has also talked to OC Greg Roman about it.

“I could go on a social media rant. I don’t care about any of that. I’m not foolish enough to live in that world.”#RavensFlock pic.twitter.com/UjoQoFScEw

— Melissa Y. Kim (@melissaykim) December 19, 2022

"When stuff like that happens, you communicate with one another, and you find out there's really not much there, in terms of what people are thinking and all that," Harbaugh told reporters of the situation. "I could go on a social media rant, but I don't know why anybody lives there."

The scrutiny toward Roman has steadily intensified as the season has gone on, and the performance of the offense since a Week 10 bye is doing little to help his cause.

The Ravens are 3-2 over that stretch but scored more than 16 points just once. From Week 11 on, they've been averaging 328.2 yards per game.

Some of that is related to Lamar Jackson's knee injury. The 2019 MVP exited a Week 13 win over the Denver Broncos after playing 10 snaps and hasn't returned to the field. Tyler Huntley has been running the offense in his stead.

But it's also true the Ravens offense hasn't returned to the heights it enjoyed when Jackson was shredding opposing defenses three seasons ago. Baltimore ranked first in offensive efficiency that year, per Football Outsiders, and then fell to 11th in 2020 and 17th in 2021.

If anything, Jackson's injury has reinforced how dependent upon his individual brilliance the team has become.

Especially for a team that's on pace to make the playoffs, firing or demoting a top coordinator would reek of desperation. For better or worse, it seems unlikely that Roman will be going anywhere.

Should the current trend continue, Harbaugh might have a difficult decision on his hands, though.

You know it's a bad day for the Baltimore Ravens when even Justin Tucker is struggling.

The star Ravens kicker, a model of consistency during his NFL career, missed a 48-yard field goal and had a 50-yard attempt blocked in Baltimore's 13-3 loss against the Cleveland Browns on Saturday.

BLOCKED 😳

📺: #BALvsCLE on NFL Network
📱: Stream on NFL+pic.twitter.com/cucS9bbf12

— NFL Network (@nflnetwork) December 17, 2022

And NFL Twitter couldn't believe what it was seeing:

Justin Tucker really missed a FG and had another one blocked 🤯 pic.twitter.com/nMN0ZL2lXK

— B/R Gridiron (@brgridiron) December 17, 2022

More surprising than the Vikings’ comeback: pic.twitter.com/gn16jjNSp6

— PFF (@PFF) December 17, 2022

Tucker blocked. This is one to remember.#Browns

— Tom Withers (@twithersAP) December 17, 2022

That's Justin Tucker's first miss from under 50 yards this season. He was 22-of-22.

— Ryan Mink (@ryanmink) December 17, 2022

I know he misses kicks at times, but that’s the first time I can remember seeing Justin Tucker miss a FG on TV

— shamus (@shamus_clancy) December 17, 2022

The Vikings came back from 33-0 and Justin Tucker missed from inside 50 yards on the same day.

Can’t wait to see what inexplicable wacky high jinks we get up to in Buffalo tonight.

— Brett Kollmann (@BrettKollmann) December 17, 2022

Largest comeback ever. A Justin Tucker miss. Can't wait to see what historical moment we get in tonight's game.

— Aaron Nagler (@AaronNagler) December 17, 2022

Justin Tucker just missed a FG, with this and that Vikings game y'all might want to get the survival shelter ready

— CJ Fogler 🫡 (@cjzero) December 17, 2022

Justin Tucker missing a field goal on the day of the biggest comeback in NFL history feels right.

— Bruce Nolan (@BruceExclusive) December 17, 2022

Coming back to twitter to express amazement at the Justin Tucker miss and going back to my cave now

— Arif Hasan, but NFL 🏈 (@ArifHasanNFL) December 17, 2022

Tucker missing two kicks probably more unlikely than Vikes win.

— Mike Trainor (@trainonova) December 17, 2022

The irony of all ironies was that on the day Tucker went just 1-of-3 on field goals, stunning everybody, he also set the Ravens' all-time record for field goals made (355) with his lone conversion, surpassing Matt Stover.

And Tucker shouldn't be singled out—this was a total team loss from Baltimore.

The Ravens managed just 126 passing yards, as backup quarterback Tyler Huntley (17-of-38 for 138 yards, one interception and three sacks) and his receiving corps struggled to get much going. The absence of Lamar Jackson was felt.

And Tucker wasn't alone in his struggles. On a wintry, whipping day in Cleveland, Tucker's counterpart, Cade York, missed two field goals himself, finishing 2-of-4 on the day.

York, however, isn't a guaranteed lock to be a first-ballot Hall of Famer. Tucker is arguably the greatest kicker in NFL history. Which made his multi-miss day all the more shocking.

As for the Ravens, the loss bumped them to 9-5 on the season, dropping the team below the Cincinnati Bengals (9-4) in the AFC North.

The Browns (6-8), meanwhile, kept their slim playoff hopes alive. And all it took was some ugly football, a healthy dose of Nick Chubb (21 carries for 99 yards), the absence of Jackson and the ever-rare struggles of Tucker.

As the old cliche goes, a win's a win. Cleveland will take it.

The injury bug has struck Baltimore Ravens cornerback Marcus Peters again.

Peters suffered a calf injury in Saturday's game against the Cleveland Browns and was ruled out for the remainder of the contest, the team announced. He was seen limping off the field in the third quarter.

This comes after Peters missed the 2021 campaign with a torn ACL he suffered before the regular season began.

The injury to Peters is a massive blow to the secondary. He is a three-time Pro Bowler and two-time All-Pro selection who was the 2015 Defensive Rookie of the Year. Baltimore traded for him during the 2019 season, and he made an immediate impact with two interceptions returned for touchdowns.

He followed up with 52 tackles, four interceptions, nine passes defended, four forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries as one of the leaders of the defense in 2020.

Look for the Ravens to rely further on the cornerback combination of Marlon Humphrey, Brandon Stephens and Kevon Seymour in his absence.

Having settled into his new surroundings with the Baltimore Ravens, Roquan Smith is looking back at the lead-up to the end of his time with the Chicago Bears.

Speaking to The Athletic's Dan Pompei, Smith said Bears general manager Ryan Poles told him "numerous times" that he didn't plan to trade him.

"So I was like, 'I guess I won't be going anywhere.' He said we'd talk at the end of the season," Smith said.

After contract talks stalled in training camp, Smith requested a trade Aug. 9. He said in a statement: "The new front office regime doesn't value me here. They've refused to negotiate in good faith, every step of this journey has been 'take it or leave it.'"

NFL Network's Ian Rapoport said on The Pat McAfee Show that Chicago made an offer that would have made Smith the NFL's highest-paid linebacker paper, but the deal was "way backloaded" with a high salary in the final season to inflate the average annual value.

Smith told reporters after returning to the Bears on Aug. 20 his trade request was denied and his "full focus" was on the regular season.

Prior to the Nov. 1 trade deadline, the Bears sent Smith to the Ravens for linebacker A.J. Klein and two 2023 draft picks, a second-rounder and a fifth-rounder.

Speaking to the media Nov. 1, Poles said he decided to move Smith because he felt it was "highly unlikely" the two sides would find common ground on a long-term extension.

The Bears drafted Smith with the eighth overall pick in the 2018 NFL draft. He made the All-Pro Second Team in 2020 and 2021.

Smith looks to have found a home with the Ravens. The 25-year-old has 36 combined tackles, four tackles for loss, two sacks and two pass breakups in five games since the trade.

Baltimore has won four of five games and the defense is allowing 13.4 points per game since Smith arrived.