After an interesting offseason for J.K. Dobbins, General Manager Eric DeCosta thinks all is well with the fourth year running back.
"We love J.K. When he's played, he's been a warrior," DeCosta said while answering questions from reporters on Friday. "He's played through injuries when he's been able to. Very talented guy, great attitude. He's a leader, I think he's respected. I've got a strong affinity for him personally. We're very excited he's back. He's healthy this year, he looks great. He's ready to go."
Dobbins is entering a contract year and did not join teammates at practice until Aug. 14. DeCosta did not say whether the Ravens and Dobbins would engage in contract negotiations once the season begins. However, DeCosta didn't rule out the possibility of the two sides reaching a long-term agreement.
"We try to keep that stuff in house," DeCosta said. "We're excited to see what he's going to do this year. I know he wants to be here, we want him here. I have a lot of respect for him as a person and also as a competitor. The way he takes care of his business, the way he rehabbed his injury, the way he plays on Sundays. I think we've shown that over the last five years, we've really tried hard to bring back as many of our own players as possible. That will continue to be what we do."
DeCosta Loves Lamar Jackson's Frame of Mind
Lamar Jackson's five-year contract extension signed in April allowed him to enter training camp without negotiations hanging over his head. DeCosta loves the way Jackson has attacked the offseason and training camp and believes he has set himself up for success.
"Lamar's attitude has been excellent this year," DeCosta said. "I think last year was a challenging year for a lot of reasons, obviously, just where he was with his contract. This year, his enthusiasm has been fantastic. He's throwing the ball very well. He's been able to build a great rapport with the receivers very quickly. He's taking care of his body."
Jackson has talked about having more freedom to change plays and protections at the line of scrimmage under Offensive Coordinator Todd Monken. The Ravens want to play at a faster tempo this season, and Jackson has embraced that change. Meanwhile, the additions of wide receivers Odell Beckham Jr., rookie Zay Flowers and Nelson Agholor have given Jackson the deepest wide receiver group he's ever had.
"He seems really into the offense – he's excited about it," DeCosta said. "He has an awesome relationship with his coaches, and he worked very hard this offseason with some of the receivers that we brought in, which is awesome to see. I think it's showing up and it's going to pay dividends for us."
DeCosta Talks About Decision to Keep Three Quarterbacks
With the Ravens signing Josh Johnson on Thursday, he joins Jackson and No. 2 quarterback Tyler Huntley on the 53-man roster. Huntley (hamstring) missed the final two preseason games and has not yet returned to practice, making his status for Week 1 uncertain. Meanwhile, Johnson started every preseason game and played well, which factored into Baltimore's decision to carry three quarterbacks heading into the season.
"Every team is going to attack that differently," DeCosta said. "In our situation, it was complicated a little bit by the health of our quarterbacks this training camp. That being the case, we're trying to keep all of our good players, and you all saw the games; Josh had an excellent preseason and played very well. Snoop (Huntley) in the one game that he played, played very well. We think we're dealing with a position of strength at the quarterback position, with three guys that have shown they can play winning football for us, and we're excited about that."
DeCosta said there was no substance to a report that the Ravens were interested in trading for quarterback Trey Lance before the 49ers dealt him to the Cowboys.
"That's just bad reporting," DeCosta said. "If somebody calls you and asks if you're interested in a player and you say no, does that mean you're interested in that player? We've got good quarterbacks, we love our quarterbacks, and we weren't looking to add any quarterbacks at all this training camp."
DeCosta Thankful No Cornerback Injuries Were 'Catastrophic'
Although All-Pro cornerback Marlon Humphrey (foot) was not placed on the injured list, the timetable for his return has not been determined.
Pepe Williams (ankle) will miss at least the first four games, and the Ravens have been dealing with cornerback injuries since training camp started. Rock Ya-Sin (knee) and Jalyn Armour-Davis missed time, while Arthur Maulet (hamstring) didn't play in the preseason, nor did Ronald Darby, who is coming off a season-ending knee injury last year.
The situation isn't ideal, but the recent additions of Maulet and Darby strengthened the Ravens' depth, and DeCosta believes the secondary can make the necessary adjustments.
"We do think we have a lot of talented guys back there," DeCosta said. "We're anxious to see – when we finally get everybody out there on the field together – what it looks like.
"I think that some of the younger guys have emerged and a couple other guys that have been on the team the last couple of years have taken a step in the right direction. We know that when we get Marlon back, we'll have a premier player out there. We haven't suffered any serious injuries or catastrophic injuries. They're all injuries that are more annoying type of injuries, and we think we'll be healthy pretty quickly."
