ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler on Lamar Jackson Expectations in Ravens’ New-Look Offense

Jeremy Fowler saved Lamar Jackson for last on his quarterback list, slotting the two-time MVP at fifth, and the conversation on The Rich Eisen Show quickly turned to the new voice calling Baltimore's offense and what it means for a player who should be back to his best.

The new coordinator is Decklin Doyle, and Fowler's reporting on him was glowing. "From all that I've heard, really bright offensive mind, has good ideas, good communicator, all those things," he said, adding that the pairing of Doyle and Jesse Minter gives the Ravens "a really cerebral, smart coaching staff." Fowler believes they will get the very best out of Jackson.

Still, he was careful not to pretend the offense is without questions, even setting Jackson aside. At center, Baltimore does not have an established replacement for Tyler Linderbaum right now. The Ravens signed Danny Pinter in free agency, and while Fowler thinks Pinter can fill in, he was not sure he is a long-term starter. Receiver remains a question too. Fowler wondered whether Baltimore goes the re-tread route again, the way it has leaned on veterans like Stefon Diggs, DeAndre Hopkins, and Anquan Boldin before, but he called that kind of move "sort of a band-aid." And there is the matter of how long Derrick Henry can keep doing what he does.

Rich pressed the bigger idea. For years, he noted, the knock has been the coordinator, and even during Jackson's MVP seasons there always seemed to be, for Ravens fans, something missing, an offense that never felt as exotic as it should. He pointed out the new coordinator comes from the Ben Johnson world and asked whether that is exactly what to expect, a Ben Johnson way of doing things married to Jackson's talent.

Fowler could see it. He described the likely blend as "a little more under center," with play-action to keep defenses honest and a steady running game, more in the Johnson tree than the college-flavored, air-raid spread principles Todd Monken brought before leaving for a head coaching job elsewhere. Fowler said he will be at Baltimore's training camp in August and is eager to watch the new scheme develop in person.

Context mattered to Fowler's optimism. The 2024 offense was humming, he said, but last year was a weird one. Jackson was in and out of the lineup with a hamstring injury, part of a run of strange ailments that made him a week-to-week question, and the offense never took off with several weapons not getting the ball enough. Fowler sensed "there was strain in the building," something simply off about the whole season.

That is why he framed the fresh start as a positive. New ideas and new head coaching influence, in his view, should be good for Jackson. Fowler even floated one more tailwind: Jackson could have a new contract in hand by the time the season starts, "which would be a nice wind in his sails." For a quarterback Fowler called a two-time MVP and "nearly three-time MVP," the expectation is a return to form, and a healthier, better-supported version of the player who has already been among the best in the league.