Lamar Jackson is primed to flourish after the Baltimore Ravens changed head coach this summer. Jesse Minter is the new man in charge at the M&T Bank Stadium after long-serving chief John Harbaugh left last month.
Jackson has twice been the NFL’s most valuable player since being drafted in 2018 but endured a difficult campaign last time out as the Ravens – who were one of the pre-season favourites for the Super Bowl – slumped to an 8-9 record and missing out on the play-offs.
Ex-wide receiver Brandon Stokely, who started and ended his 15-year NFL career with the Ravens, believes Minter’s arrival will help him in his transition from a running quarterback to one that plays in the pocket.
“I do think the change in head coach will help get the best out of Jackson,” Stokely said. “When you’ve been in a system for as long as he’s been in the system with the hard ball and that coach and staff – it can get stale.
“So now all of a sudden, you’re going to have a new system, somebody with a new set of eyes that’s going to maybe look at this a little bit differently. Lamar Jackson’s entering the second half of his career now and we don’t see a lot of longevity with running quarterbacks.
“He’s trying to transform into more of a pocket quarterback, so it’s going to be interesting to see. It could be an added boost and benefit for him playing a little bit longer.
“So again, it’s going to be interesting to see what that offense looks like with a new offensive coordinator around Lamar Jackson, because I still think he has a few really good years left in him.”
One of the Ravens’ key issues this year has been their defense, but bringing in Minter, who worked his way up the defensive coaching ranks at the Ravens before becoming the Chargers’ defensive coordinator, will have a positive impact.
Stokley continued: “Their defence took a real step back this year, they were terrible. They got better, but it wasn’t good enough, and the Ravens are known for their defence and being tough, and that wasn’t the case this past year.
“Bringing in a defensive minded head coach will help them. That’s going to be an interesting storyline next year.
“John Harbaugh was there for so long that you never expected them to be gone. Now you have a new voice there. Things are changing there in Baltimore, so that’s going to be an interesting storyline to see if they can get back to the team that we’re used to seeing from Baltimore.”
Brandon Stokley was speaking to BOYLE Sports, who offer the latest NFL odds ahead of the Super Bowl.