Former Ravens OC Todd Monken admitted he didn’t get the most out of Lamar Jackson last year. Baltimore’s new OC agrees. Speaking to the team’s website recently, he had high praise for his new quarterback’s talent level. And as anybody in a new job trying to make an impression, he talked room to grow.
“When you watch the tape, there’s not really any throws that he can’t make”, Declan Doyle said of Lamar Jackson. “He’s very arm-talented. I think there’s even a higher ceiling to his game. You’re looking at a guy that’s been the MVP twice. And yet I still think just like all our guys, he still has room to grow”.
The Ravens’ quarterback for the past eight seasons, Jackson is a four-time Pro Bowler, three-time All-Pro, and two-time MVP. One can easily make the argument that he should have at least one more MVP Award to his name, too. Following an injury-plagued season last year, however, he is looking to get back on track.
Speaking to reporters on Wednesday, Doyle talked about what the tape tells him about Lamar Jackson’s game. He talked about the “first play”, or the play as designed, and how they can clean that up. “That first play can be more consistent, at times, with his eyes, with his footwork [and] within the system”, he said. “That’s kind of what I’ve noticed is that we’ve watched the tape, and that is stuff that – as soon as he gets in here – I’m really fired up to sit with him and start to talk through a lot of that stuff”.
In 13 games last year, Jackson went 192-for-302 for 2,549 yards with 21 touchdowns and 7 interceptions. He rushed for 349 yards and 2 touchdowns, but he also fumbled 7 times. This was coming off his best season of his career in 2024 on those “first plays”, though.
The season before, Jackson threw for a career-high 4,172 yards, going 316-for-474 passing with 41 touchdowns to just 4 interceptions. He averaged 8.8 yards per attempt and led the NFL with a 119.6 quarterback rating. On top of that, he rushed for 915 yards and 4 touchdowns—albeit with 10 fumbles.
One question Declan Doyle and the Ravens’ new coaching staff have to answer is how much of Lamar Jackson’s 2025 tape is compromised by the series of injuries he played through, or which caused him to miss time. He wasn’t fully himself for the vast majority of the season, which makes true evaluation difficult. Almost universally, he is recognized as one of the best football players in the world. But he’s still 3-5 in the playoffs, and this is a team with Super Bowl aspirations. That’s why John Harbaugh isn’t here anymore, so Doyle has big expectations resting on his young shoulders.