The Awaited Return of Lamar Jackson

Lamar Jackson made an uninspiring training camp debut on Wednesday, overthrowing Rashod Bateman for an interception by Marlon Humphrey before leaving practice an hour early.

The Ravens have (understandably) not offered a detailed update regarding Jackson’s health, but his absence has been conspicuous. After a few interceptions on Tuesday, the floodgates opened on Wednesday with six total interceptions: three thrown by Josh Johnson and two by sixth-rounder Devin Leary, plus Jackson’s early pick.

Defense had a day pic.twitter.com/quTq28izTf

— Baltimore Ravens (@Ravens) July 24, 2024

Humphrey’s second interception was a poorly thrown ball by Johnson that Humphrey tipped up and caught before it hit the ground, yet another play on the ball by the veteran cornerback in the early days of camp. Additional interceptions came courtesy of Trayvon Mullen, Kyle Hamilton, Marcus Williams and Jalyn Armour-Davis. Mullen fought for an errant pass in the end zone during red zone drills, Williams snatched a bobbled catch away from Derrick Henry to kick off practice, and Armour-Davis beat Mark Andrews in the end zone for his pick.

That’s just a taste of the Ravens’ elite secondary: a deep and dangerous group that has shown out in training camp. Whether it’s the elite starting core of Humphrey, Hamilton, Williams, and Brandon Stephens, the collection of role players like Arthur Maulet, or the budding young DB talent like Nate Wiggins, Baltimore’s secondary has been the highlight of the Ravens’ 2024 so far.

It’s not just the All-Pros like Humphrey and Hamilton that are getting the Ravens’ coaches excited, either. On Tuesday, John Harbaugh expressed optimism about Armour-Davis and Pepe Williams, a pair of 2021 Day 3 corners who have struggled with injuries to start their NFL career. On Wednesday, secondary coach Chris Hewitt and defensive coordinator Zach Orr followed that up with praise for rookie Nate Wiggins and veteran Eddie Jackson.

“He is extremely competitive, more competitive than I thought he was,” said Hewitt of Wiggins. “He’s got the whole mentality.”

That’s impressive and important for a young rookie who will go up against NFL receivers who have been playing football for as long as he’s been alive.

“Remember, this guy’s only 20 years old,” continued Hewitt. “He’s not even old enough to drink yet. He’s still learning how to be in the NFL. His competitiveness is the thing that really sticks out to me.”

(Hewitt also clarified that Wiggins’ nickname is “Deuce” for his number 2 jersey, not Marlon Humphrey’s moniker of “Nasty Nate”.)

After spending most of OTAs and minicamp going untargeted in coverage, Wiggins has gotten more action in training camp, and he’s risen to the challenge. His closing speed and length have been on full display as he stays on receivers’ hips and makes plays on the football.

Veteran safety Eddie Jackson already feels like another summer steal by GM Eric DeCosta. He signed in Baltimore for a reported $1.5 million, a bargain for a safety of his caliber and experience. Zach Orr offered his first impressions of Jackson after Wednesday’s practice:

“You can see that he’s played a lot of football and he’s made a lot of plays. His first day, he had a pick-six. He’s a real smart player, he still can play and move at a high level, and he’s picking up the defense pretty well so far. Just like a lot of guys in that room, he’s going to be able to help us.”

Any NFL defense would get better by adding Eddie Jackson, but in his own words, he’s a “perfect fit” in Baltimore for how he completes the secondary. In order to unlock the versatility of Kyle Hamilton, the defense needs complementary versatility – Marlon Humphrey’s inside-outside flexibility – and traditional role players – Eddie Jackson and Arthur Maulet at safety and nickel, respectively. After losing Geno Stone to free agency, the Ravens needed another free safety who was comfortable playing centerfield while Kyle Hamilton lined up in the slot, in the box, or even off the edge.

Those role players enable the “generational-type player” that Chris Hewitt believes Kyle Hamilton is.

“I think Kyle is a unicorn. He’s a one-of-one. There’s not many guys who’ve come along like that. You don’t see many guys who are 6-foot-4 who can run and change direction the way he does, who still plays with violence.”

He hasn’t been able to show that violence quite yet with padless practices and minimal tackling, but Hamilton has been primed to blow up a ballcarrier on more than one occasion, with only the rules of engagement preventing a huge hit and potential turnover.

Other than Jackson’s return, there were few highlights on the offensive side of the ball. Derrick Henry continues to look very comfortable in the Ravens’ offense, including taking carries out of shotgun, which was a concern of RB coach Willie Taggert when Henry first arrived in Baltimore. Justice Hill and Rasheen Ali are able to find room on some carries, but it’s an uphill battle behind a constantly-rotating offensive line against an aggressive and multiple defensive front.

Ultimately, the Ravens offense – and really, the entire team – is a completely different beast with Lamar Jackson on the field. Todd Monken and Zach Orr both acknowledged the value of having Jackson out there on Wednesday, for the offense to get consistent first-team reps and for the defense to have to face off against one of the NFL’s best QBs. That’s not to say Baltimore is wasting practices when Jackson is out, but he obviously needs to get back to 100% sooner rather than later so both sides of the ball can take full advantage of his presence.

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