Could the league’s most dynamic quarterback be an even bigger threat with his legs this season?
Lamar Jackson believes so, and it’s the reason behind him showing up to Ravens organized team activities this week noticeably slimmer.
“I can be more agile, be able to move more,” Jackson told reporters on Wednesday. “I feel great right now.”
Jackson said he’s currently “two something” but wouldn’t declare his exact weight. Asked if there’s a target weight in mind, Jackson replied, “just under 230.” In a video posted by Complex Sports last week, Jackson said he was 230 pounds in 2022, 215 in 2023, and is now down to 205.
Jackson is coming off his second-career MVP season which saw him throw for a career-high 3,678 yards while adding 821 yards on the ground. He also accounted for 29 total touchdowns (24 passing, five rushing) in what resulted in the second first-team All-Pro honor of his career.
“Lamar’s a pro. He knows what he’s doing, he knows where he wants to be with that,” head coach John Harbaugh said on Wednesday of Jackson’s weight loss. “My concern is that he’s in shape — best shape of his life — and that he’s working toward that, ready football wise, all the details that goes with that.”
Jackson has caused headaches for opposing defenses with his ability to scramble out of heavy situations in the pocket and turn them into game-altering plays. The vast improvement of Jackson’s passing game last season only makes him more of a threat, and his production figures to improve as he enters his second year in offensive coordinator Todd Monken’s system.
“I’m a lot more comfortable with everything, how he’s calling the plays and what he’s expecting us to do and stuff like that,” Jackson said. “But I’m just looking forward to doing what we got to do to put us in great situations this season.”
The Ravens’ addition of Derrick Henry this offseason should take some of the load off Jackson, who’s led the Ravens in rushing in every season since becoming a full-time starter in 2019. But the back-breaking plays Jackson improvises with his legs will no doubt be needed, and the 27-year-old QB is preparing himself for when those times come.
Baltimore earned the AFC’s No. 1 seed off the heels of Jackson’s MVP-winning campaign but faltered to the eventual Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC Championship Game, a home defeat that has been stuck in the Ravens’ craw since January.
“I believe that just motivated us throughout the whole offseason,” Jackson said. “People (are) still talking about it, us players still talk about it. It definitely left a bitter taste in our mouth just being that close. We worked so hard to get there and didn’t do what we wanted to do, didn’t fulfill our dream. Definitely a little chip on our shoulder.”
The Ravens won’t have to wait long to get some revenge as they’re slated to face the Chiefs in a rematch to kick off the 2024 season. Jackson is preparing himself physically to try and get Baltimore over the hump by virtue of its dazzling quarterback.
