Jackson, Flowers both upgrade to full practices

As noted yesterday, NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport believes Jackson’s reps in practice going forward will be managed at his behest, so don’t get too startled on Wednesday if he’s limited again. Jackson is an obvious overall QB1 candidate in Week 4 against the Titans.

Head coach Jesse Minter said after practice that Jackson was dealing with “something small.” Both his comments and the limited status suggest this is nothing more than a minor issue, though a full practice tomorrow would undoubtedly ease the minds of Ravens fans and fantasy managers. Barring a setback, Jackson will remain a top-end QB1 for his Week 4 date with the Titans.

Hensley noted that Jackson spoke to the media before practice and talked as if he was good to go for Week 4, so this might be nothing. Jackson threw a dart to Zay Flowers on the Ravens’ final offensive play of Week 3, so he appeared fine the last time he was on the field. We will get more info when the team’s first injury report of the week drops later today. Tyler Huntley is Baltimore’s backup.

Jackson and the Ravens leaned on Derrick Henry for much of this one. Through the first three quarters, Jackson attempted just 13 passes. He completed nine of those attempts for 114 yards and one touchdown, with his first coming on a four-yard pass to Chris Moore in the back of the end zone in the third quarter. Jackson would string together multiple completions late in the fourth quarter on his way to throwing a two-yard touchdown to rookie TE Matt Hibner to give the Ravens a 31-28 lead with one minute and 30 seconds left in regulation. After the Cowboys tied the game with 10 seconds still on the clock, Lamar found Zay Flowers on a 27-yard pass, then called a timeout with one second left on the game clock to set up a game-winning 56-yard field goal from Tyler Loop. This was shaping up to be another signature fourth-quarter collapse from the Ravens, but Jackson and the offense were able to come up with enough clutch plays down the stretch to stave off defeat. Jackson will be on the QB1 radar next week when the Ravens take on the winless Titans.

A quick look at the box score would suggest the Ravens put up more than the 17 points they managed in Sunday’s loss, but Baltimore struggled to finish drives on Sunday. Despite making a handful of big plays on the day, one of which was a 22-yard touchdown pass to Rashod Bateman in the second quarter, Jackson took three pivotal sacks on three separate drives that resulted in just three points for the Ravens. Jackson completed 2-of-5 passes of 20-plus yards, with his longest completion a 47-yard strike to Devontez Walker, but on the Ravens’ final drive, Lamar missed a throw to Bateman, and safety Julian Blackmon picked it off to end the game. Hopefully, Zay Flowers will be back next week for Jackson in Week 3 against the Cowboys in what projects as a high-scoring game. As usual, Jackson will be a must-start next week.

Ravens LG John Simpson (groin) was also sidelined. Both players are long-time veterans, so hopefully this is more of a maintenance issue than anything else. Losing the left side of the offensive line would make things more challenging for QB Lamar Jackson against the Saints.

Things couldn’t have gone much better for Jackson and the Ravens, who generated one explosive play after another in Declan Doyle’s debut as offensive coordinator. Jackson’s first completion of the day came on a 49-yard play to Zay Flowers that fell a few yards shy of the end zone, but Jackson would rush it in himself on a five-yard run two plays later to give the Ravens their first score of the new season. Jackson’s lone touchdown pass came on another long play to Flowers. Jackson completed a short pass to Flowers midway through the second quarter, which Flowers immediately turned upfield for a 54-yard score, putting the Ravens up 21-6. As a runner, Jackson looked explosive when he took off. Jackson ripped off a 17-yard gain when he evaded multiple defenders to avoid a sack in the first quarter, and gained another 19 yards on the ground just before halftime. Jackson played the entire second half without Flowers and rookie receiver Ja’Kobi Lane. Hopefully they’ll be healthy in time for Week 2’s game against the Saints, where Jackson will profile as a high-end QB1 in the Ravens’ home opener.

Jackson and the Ravens engaged in contract talks throughout the offseason but never got the deal across the finish line. Jackson doesn’t have an agent, meaning he represents himself in contract negotiations. The added time and stress of that likely means neither side wants to continue contract discussions in the midst of the regular season. Jackson is under contract through the 2027 season, giving the team one more offseason to get him locked down long-term.

The veteran quarterback is under contract through 2027, but carries an $84.3 million salary cap hit next year. The front office obviously wants to rework the deal. Jackson wants a lucrative extension and “has massive leverage and appears ready to use it.” He also has a no-franchise-tag provision and a no-trade clause. If Jackson turns in another “banner season,” Fowler believes “he has full control” of where he plays next season. For now, he is a top-tier QB1.

DeCosta also said he wants to get a deal done as soon as possible. Jackson currently has two seasons left on his five-year, $260 million contract. His cap hit for the 2026 season is a comfortable $34.4 million. That number balloons to $84.3 million next year. A new deal would help the Ravens spread Jackson’s cap hit over multiple seasons. Jackson is no longer one of the 10 highest-paid quarterbacks by average annual value, so he should also want to get a new deal on the books. It makes sense for both sides to come to an agreement sooner rather than later, ideally before the start of the season.