Report: Lamar Jackson will have role in Ravens’ offense ‘immediately’

The Baltimore Ravens have stated publicly that Joe Flacco remains their starting quarterback for 2018, but it sounds like first-round draft pick Lamar Jackson will be involved in the team’s offense in some capacity.

In an appearance on the “Tiki and Tierney” show Tuesday, Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports stated emphatically that the Ravens are planning to design offensive packages for Jackson and have him on the field in Week 1.

“Lamar Jackson is going to be on the field Week 1,” La Canfora said. “Maybe it’s three plays, maybe it’s eight plays. He’s going to be on the field Week 5, and maybe it’s 10 plays and maybe it’s 15 plays, depending on how the offense goes. I don’t think they’re going to throw him into the deep end too soon, but they will create packages for him immediately.”

La Canfora praised Jackson for being an “athletic freak” and said he is the most athletic player on Baltimore’s roster. The Ravens can save $18.5 million in salary cap space if they cut Flacco next offseason, and La Canfora says the way fans lost interest in the team in 2017 coupled with Baltimore drafting Jackson makes it a guarantee that Flacco will not be back next year.

“I live in this town, and you couldn’t give away a Ravens ticket. … Flacco wasn’t going to be back in 2019 — even if they waited to the fifth round to draft a quarterback we had never heard of, but this absolutely cements it,” La Canfora added.

Judging by what the Ravens said about Jackson leading up to the draft, you know they have high hopes for the former Louisville star. Flacco, 33, is not that old by today’s NFL quarterback standards, but he has been mediocre at best over the past several seasons. It makes sense that his days in Baltimore are numbered.