Lamar Jackson feels Ravens' offense is where it needs to be following practice vs. Colts

New York Times

5 days ago

OWINGS MILLS, Md. — On the third play of the first full-team session in Tuesday's joint practice between the Baltimore Ravens and Indianapolis Colts, quarterback Lamar Jackson rolled right and appeared to be ready to run. However, he stopped and fired an off-balance, cross-body pass to the middle of the field. Wide receiver Rashod Bateman was there to make about a 15-yard catch.
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Standing roughly 5 yards away from where Jackson delivered the ball, Colts defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo had a nice chuckle. Anarumo, the longtime defensive coordinator of the Cincinnati Bengals, has seen that act from Jackson before. The two enjoyed a laugh after the session concluded.
'Coach was telling me that he's glad he doesn't have to face me twice a year anymore,' Jackson said. 'But I told him, 'It's always going to be competitive.''
Jackson's throw to Bateman was one of the highlights from his most extensive and competitive work this summer. He also twice found his favorite target, tight end Mark Andrews, for touchdowns.
.@Lj_era8 ➡️ @Mandrews_81 🔄 pic.twitter.com/irJWzxqSVP
— Baltimore Ravens (@Ravens) August 5, 2025
Jackson had several deep connections with fellow tight end Charlie Kolar. But his uneven practice ended with being picked off by Colts seventh-round rookie safety/linebacker Hunter Wohler in a full-field, two-minute drill late in the workout. The pass was similar to the Bateman completion in that Jackson threw across his body and into the middle of the field.
'Just watching how my guys are out there on the field and how we're moving the ball during certain periods, I felt like we did pretty good, besides the little 'BS' interceptions,' Jackson said. 'Too many, but it happens.'
It's been an up-and-down start to training camp for the Ravens offense, which has struggled at times to avoid pre-snap penalties as the team works on using different cadences. The offense has also had issues picking up blitzes.
Jackson has had a few really good days and a few subpar ones. Tuesday was somewhere in the middle. He looked frustrated at times, hopping around after one pass appeared to slip out of his hands and fall harmlessly to the ground about 5 yards out, and chastising himself after the workout for misreading a route by DeAndre Hopkins.
Yet, Jackson and Ravens coach John Harbaugh considered Tuesday's practice against a motivated Colts defense as a step forward. Jackson, for one, looks fast and healthy, and that's all that really matters at this point of training camp.
'I'll let you know later about the tape, but I felt really good about the work,' Harbaugh said. 'They got a lot of reps. They got seven out of every 12 reps that we did in all those periods. I think that's about 60 percent, if my math is right. So that was good to see them get all those reps against another defense. I mean, that's a really good defense and a really good front, especially. It was good work for us.'
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Asked at different points of training camp about some of the summer inconsistencies, offensive players and coaches have pointed out that they are facing a really good Baltimore defense every day in practice. The group, which is essentially the same unit as last year minus starting left guard Patrick Mekari but plus Hopkins, has extremely high expectations. It also has plenty of time to work its way into midseason form.
The Ravens' regular-season opener against the Buffalo Bills, a rematch of last season's divisional-round playoff game, is still a month away.
'We have good days, we have bad days, we have OK days, we have great days, but I feel like there's always room for improvement,' Jackson said Tuesday. 'We're right where we need to be right now.'
• The scrap that resulted in Ravens cornerback Nate Wiggins and Colts running back Tyler Goodson throwing punches and getting ejected from practice was the only moment from Tuesday's session where things crossed the line beyond standard extracurricular pushing and shoving.
Ravens outside linebacker David Ojabo had to be separated from a Colts offensive lineman at one point. Harbaugh pulled another Raven out of a potential fight about five minutes after the Wiggins-Goodson tussle. Colts receiver Michael Pittman Jr. also exchanged words with Ravens cornerbacks Marlon Humphrey and Jaire Alexander, but the two sides headed their separate ways.
• Before he ran in from the sideline to defend fellow defensive back Keyon Martin and engage Goodson, escalating the situation, Wiggins was having a tough time against the Colts' receivers. That included him getting beat for a long one by Adonai Mitchell. Wiggins was arguably the most impressive Raven through the first 10 days of camp, but he's had a rough go of it the last couple of days.
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• Baltimore's wide receivers didn't get a lot of traction during the full-team work, but they fared pretty well in the one-on-one session in practice. Bateman and undrafted rookie Xavier Guillory made contested short catches despite stumbling early in their routes. Zay Flowers easily got away from Colts safety Marcel Dabo. Dayton Wade left rookie corner Alex Johnson behind him with a stop-and-go move and hauled in the touchdown. Anthony Miller made a nifty one-handed snag despite good coverage from safety Camryn Bynum. Andrews, who had a really nice practice, won consistently on his reps.
• Kolar's practice got off to an inauspicious start as he was driven back on the second play of full-team drills, killing a jet sweep to Flowers before the receiver had a chance to get upfield. However, Kolar, who continues to get a lot of opportunities with Isaiah Likely sidelined, had one of his strongest practices. He found himself wide open down the sideline and made two long catch-and-runs. He was also one of Jackson's preferred targets in the red zone.
.@charliekolar_ highlights!!!!! pic.twitter.com/hXeB6uKdVc
— Baltimore Ravens (@Ravens) August 5, 2025
• The Jackson interception by Wohler ended Baltimore's first two-minute session at the end of practice. The second one was halted when backup quarterback Cooper Rush had his pass deflected and picked off, again by Wohler. 'That was disappointing to us,' Harbaugh said. 'You never want to throw an interception in two-minute (drills).'
• As he's been doing throughout training camp, second-round outside linebacker Mike Green had a few notable flashes. One of them came on special teams, as Green leveled a Colts player. In a late two-minute drill, Green sacked Anthony Richardson to force a fourth-and-long. Blitzing inside linebacker William Kwenkeu sacked Richardson on the next play to bring an end to practice.
• Ravens rookie kicker Tyler Loop continued his run of practice success, making all six of his attempts, including a 44- and 55-yarder. The 55-yarder was right down the middle and had plenty more mileage on it as it cleared the crossbar.
• Ravens safety Kyle Hamilton was the team's most notable absence from practice, although he watched part of the workout. Harbaugh said Hamilton has 'one of those camp deals' and was held out as a precaution.
Hamilton, who wasn't going to play in Thursday's preseason opener either way, only took a few reps in Tuesday's practice and spent part of the workout stretching his groin on the sideline. Also not practicing for the Ravens: running back Marcus Major (concussion), Likely (foot), left tackle Emery Jones Jr. (shoulder) and cornerback Robert Longerbeam (undisclosed).
• The Ravens and Colts will have their preseason opener Thursday at 7 p.m. ET. Harbaugh said Tuesday that Jackson, Derrick Henry and other key starters won't play in the game.
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• There were a few interesting observers at Tuesday's practice. Former Ravens Chris McAlister and Vonta Leach took in the action. Ex-Las Vegas Raiders general manager Mike Mayock was also in attendance and spent part of practice talking to Ravens executive vice president Ozzie Newsome.