Lamar Jackson is back on the practice field.
The Ravens' franchise quarterback joined teammates for Wednesday's OTA practice. While attendance is voluntary during the first three weeks of OTAs, Jackson's presence is a positive for the Ravens as they continue building their offensive scheme under new Offensive Coordinator Todd Monken.
After signing a five-year, $260 million contract extension, Jackson said he had been communicating with Monken and was eager to work in the new system.
"Actually, coach Todd Monken reached out to me," Jackson said. "We spoke a couple times, and I heard from the guys that the offense is looking pretty smooth. I just got my iPad a couple days ago, and from what I've seen, it looks different. I'm liking it so far."
The Ravens are the only NFL team with at least 500 rushing attempts in each of the past four seasons, but they are expected to attack more aggressively through the air in 2023 after signing wide receivers Odell Beckham Jr. and Nelson Agholor and drafting Zay Flowers in the first round. Jackson quipped that he wants to "throw for like 6,000 yards with the weapons we have." Now he'll have a chance to start building chemistry with those new weapons.
Monken said last week that Jackson had plenty of time to find his comfort level in the new offense, with the regular season still four months away. However, OTAs will also give Jackson valuable reps with teammates after suffering a knee injury in Week 13 that forced him to miss the final six games of the 2022 season, including the playoffs.
"I know Lamar is working hard," Monken said. "I know the guys that aren't here are working hard; they're pros. When they're here, they're here. We look forward to getting them here and getting up to speed to what we're doing offensively. I think that's probably the biggest challenge, but it's football. When they get here, they get here, and we'll get them up to speed."
