Lamar Jackson's New Offense: Same MVP, Different Magic?

OWINGS MILLS, Md. — Lamar Jackson was so heated at training camp last week that he spiked his helmet into the turf. Not because he's lost. Not because he's frustrated with the new offense. Because he's locked in. And when Lamar Jackson is locked in, the rest of the NFL should be terrified.

For the third time in his career, the Ravens' franchise quarterback is learning a brand-new offensive system — this time under first-time playcaller Declan Doyle. And if the past is any indication, this transition could end with Jackson hoisting another MVP trophy.

In 2019, Jackson became just the second unanimous MVP in NFL history in his first season under Greg Roman. Four years later, he won MVP again in his first year under Todd Monken. Now Doyle is up, and the buzzwords around Baltimore are physical, explosive, and detailed.

"Lamar continues each and every year to push himself and learn and grow and find new ways to innovate," tight end Mark Andrews said. "Especially when you learn a new offense, you're able to kind of add some things to your repertoire and do some different things that other people haven't seen."

The Under-Center Evolution

Here's the craziest stat you'll hear all day: Since 2018, Jackson has taken just 226 snaps under center — the second fewest among quarterbacks with at least 50 starts, ahead of only Kyler Murray (202). That's about 5% of his career snaps. But when he does go under center, he's been surgical: an 81.2 QBR, the best in the NFL, with 20 touchdowns and just one interception.

This summer, Jackson has been working under center more than ever before. And it's not just for fun — it's by design.

"With this balanced type of offense, I feel like it will help us out a lot — identifying the defense, really keeping the defense on their toes," Jackson said.

Doyle, the offensive coordinator, has been impressed with how natural Jackson looks in the new alignment.

"You would never notice that he hasn't been under there that much," Doyle said. "He has the ability to really do all three: He can be under, he can be in the pistol, he can be in shotgun. There's a lot of versatility in his game."

Cadence and Free Plays

Jackson's under-center shift isn't the only new toy. The Ravens are spending serious time on cadence — trying to get defenses to jump offside and create free plays. That's been a weak spot for Baltimore. Since 2019, the Ravens have drawn only 33 offside penalties, tied for the third fewest in the league. Those have produced just 48 "free plays," and Jackson has exactly one career completion on them: a 6-yard toss to Zay Flowers in 2023.

Jackson wants to change that. Badly.

"Free plays, free yards — we need it all," Jackson said. "We're trying to put points on the board."

There have been hiccups. On Sunday, the Ravens mixed up their cadence so much that the offense got flagged for false starts eight times. But Jackson believes the payoff will come.

"He challenges us each and every play," Jackson said. "Even with the huddle, and how the huddle is set up, he challenges us to get to the line of scrimmage fast, execute, break down the defense and process everything fast."

Weapons Everywhere

The front office didn't just add pass protection — they loaded up on targets. After taking guard Vega Ioane at No. 14, the Ravens drafted two receivers (Ja'Kobi Lane in the third, Elijah Sarratt in the fourth) and two tight ends (Matthew Hibner in the fourth, Josh Cuevas in the fifth).

Flowers, who has seen Jackson adapt to all types of receivers, says the rookies should just do one thing: run.

"Lamar can adjust to everybody," Flowers said. "He knows everybody is different. Everybody's play style is different. So he kind of adjusts to you. But at the same time, you can help him by just running."

Head coach Jesse Minter has seen the same thing that's made Jackson special for eight seasons — and he knows what this new challenge does to a player who's already at the top.

"Lamar's the best player in the league," Minter said. "When he's out there and he's obviously really engaged like he is, he makes everybody on the field better."

He added: "All he has to do is be himself. That's what he's proven that he is over the course of time."

And if history repeats itself, "being himself" under a new coordinator means another MVP season in Baltimore.