When the Ravens begin their offseason workout program on Monday, Head Coach Jesse Minter will gain more valuable insight into his team.
Which players will be in the best condition? How strong will attendance be, and how quickly will players begin to grasp the new systems being installed on offense, defense, and special teams?
Don’t read too much into who reports on Day 1, and who doesn’t. It’s voluntary, and it’s April. It’s only Phase 1 in a three-phase ramp-up toward OTAs in May, followed by mandatory minicamp June 9-11.
Offensive Coordinator Declan Doyle will be the fourth coordinator that Lamar Jackson has worked with since joining the Ravens. He’s won an MVP with two different coordinators – Greg Roman and Todd Monken.
Are you willing to conclude that Jackson won’t win a third MVP, or the Ravens won’t win a Super Bowl, if he doesn’t attend Day 1 of Phase 1? If Jackson’s there on Monday, great. If he’s not, it doesn’t mean he won’t have a great season.
Jackson has been down this road before – new system, new coordinator, and he adjusted well to those changes when he had less experience. Minter isn’t publicly stressing about how often Jackson will attend voluntary workouts and says he and Jackson are on the same page.
“A lot of that stuff I will probably keep between Lamar and I, but I just think that he’s excited for us to connect, for us to build a relationship, for us to trust each other, for us to be able to talk through things,” Minter said at the NFL owners meetings.
“You don’t become the level of player that he has without a great work ethic, without being a great teammate and without being a leader. I am just excited for him to continue to grow, evolve and become an even better version of Lamar.”
As we move into another phase of the offseason, here are my thoughts on the Ravens, all in 50 words or less: