Teammates and coaches have all lauded how Lamar Jackson is throwing the ball since reporting for Ravens minicamp.
On Friday, Offensive Coordinator Greg Roman joined the chorus.
"I think this is the best I've ever seen him throw it," Roman said. "He's really worked hard in the offseason and it's showing. We just have to build on that. It's really exciting."
Asked whether the way Jackson is throwing the ball could open up more of the playbook, Roman said the playbook is set but he could lean on different parts more.
"We probably have, legitimately, 20% new stuff," Roman said. "But what it will do is I might call the game differently; I might call different plays that are in the playbook."
Ben Powers Is the Early Leader at Left Guard
Left guard is the best competition at Ravens training camp and we have an early leader.
Baltimore is just three days into training camp, but Offensive Coordinator Greg Roman said Ben Powers is first in line as of now.
"I'd say, right now, Ben Powers has probably taken the lead – right now," Roman said. "It's a long way to go, though, so, specifically, yes, at this point, but we're going to continue to rotate guys in and give guys opportunities."
Powers is primarily competing with Tyre Phillips and Ben Cleveland for the job. Powers has the most experience of the bunch, as he's made 19 starts the past two seasons.
Phillips won the job out of training camp last season, but suffered a knee injury Week 1 in Las Vegas. Cleveland finished the year as the starter, but the 2021 third-round pick has yet to pass his conditioning test.
There's still a long way to go and Head Coach John Harbaugh wants to see somebody emerge from the pack before Week 1.
"You want the decision to be made for you – somebody taking the bull by the horns and owning the job," Harbaugh said. "How long it will take kind of depends on how long it takes. The sooner the better, for sure."
Kyle Hamilton Has to Earn His Way on the Field
Ravens first-round safety Kyle Hamilton shined in OTAs and minicamp, but he's not going to be handed a starting job just because of how high he was drafted.
Chuck Clark is still in a major role in the Ravens defense as training camp opens.
"You don't have to feed [Hamilton] to the fire," Defensive Coordinator Mike Macdonald said, adding that Hamilton hasn't taken a dip like some rookies do at the start of training camp when the intensity turns up a notch.
"I keep saying the word trajectory. But keep learning, keep communicating. He's very sharp, very smart player. Obviously plays fast and can cover a ton of ground. But we have great players back there too, so he's got to earn his way onto the field."
