With the NFL season kicking off in a few weeks, teams are starting to have to think about their final roster depth charts and where they will need to add players cut from other teams. However, the Baltimore Ravens have an interesting conundrum. Do they or don't they keep three quarterbacks?
If they were to keep three, which of the two backups would be active, and most importantly which one (or both) is active every week. While Joe Flacco has solidified himself as the starter, Ravens head coach John Harbaugh has an interesting choice to make, go with Robert Griffin III or rookie quarterback Lamar Jackson.
Each quarterback has his own unique traits and each provides a different case for being the primary back up to Joe Flacco.
Lamar Jackson's case for being the backup quarterback
Lamar Jackson is without a doubt the future for the Baltimore Ravens, but as of now, he is trying to stake his claim as to why he should be the primary backup for Joe Flacco. He has shown that he can run, pass, and make quick decisions. And he has also shown improvement in each of his four preseason games. In the Hall of Fame Game, Jackson had his first taste of action and it wasn't a great showing but he did show flashes. He finished 4/10 for 33 yards with 1 touchdown and 1 interception.
After this performance, it was evident that Jackson had long ways to go if he was to be a backup quarterback, let alone a future starting quarterback for the Baltimore Ravens.
In his second and third preseason games, Lamar Jackson showed what he could do given more time to play and more time to understand the playbook.
He finished 7/18 for 119 yards in game two and 7/15 for 49 yards and 1 touchdown. His fourth game was better, as he finished 7/10 for 98 yards and 1 touchdown. After this game, Lamar Jackson told WBAL-TV "I hope people know I can throw now, even though I had a low percentage," while walking off the field.
While he showed that he can throw, Jackson still runs more and he takes a lot of risks that the Ravens can't afford right now. Jamison Hensley of ESPN breaks down Jackson's stats through preseason games including completing 41.9 percent of his passes (18 of 43) which is the lowest of all qualifying quarterbacks.
Not exactly primary back up numbers, but he may be given the benefit of the doubt if he continues to improve.
The Ravens need to be down to 53 players after their last preseason game against Washington.
RGIII showing why he deserves to be the backup in Baltimore
Last season Robert Griffin III was an afterthought. He wasn't on an NFL team and nobody knew if he would ever play again. But when the Ravens signed him back in April, many thought this would be a way for RGIII to find his way back into a starting role.
Maybe not with the Ravens, but somewhere else perhaps after the training camps and preseason games were over. Now Griffin is showing that he may be the primary backup to Joe Flacco. Many around the league believe the Ravens will keep three quarterbacks for the first time in nine years. Others think that no matter how well Griffin performs he will be released when the Ravens trimmed their roster to 53 players after their final preseason game against Griffin's former team the Washington Redskins.
In the preseason games Griffin has played in, he has shown to be the much better backup due to his being a former starting quarterback. Granted his sample size in these games hasn't been as big as Lamar Jackson's, but he's been more accurate and hasn't committed to running as much. But most importantly, he's not turning the ball over and he's completing passes at a higher rate than Jackson. In all the preseason games Griffin has played in with the Ravens, he's completing 60 percent of his passes and being more efficient in the offense.
So despite his much better numbers, his past as a starting quarterback, and his skill set, the Ravens may actually cut him. In an interview with Clifton Brown, a Baltimore Ravens staff writer, Griffin talks about what may or may not happen.
He says "If I was to stay out of football all of last year and have an opportunity to play for the Baltimore Ravens and have the preseason we are having, and playing the way I've played, I'd say it was a successful camp."
Now instead of trying to make headlines as a flashy starting quarterback and former Heisman trophy winner, Griffin is instead focused on winning over his teammates, with his all-business attitude. To show how much Griffin has improved look at his last preseason game against the Dolphins.
He was being pressured by the Dolphins defense so he decided to run out of the pocket. What he did wasn't flashy, it was a move that shows he's matured as a player- he ran for 21 yards and did a perfect quarterback slide.
In his rookie year Griffin probably would've tried to gain more yardage, or turned the ball over, but now he's showing growth as a player.
Griffin will play alongside Lamar Jackson in the final preseason game against the Washington Redskins Thursday night and both the quarterbacks' performances will be judged by coaches and media alike to see who the backup will ultimately be. For Griffin to earn the backup role he needs to do what he's been doing since training camp, work harder than everybody else and show the coaching staff that he, not Lamar Jackson is the best guy for the backup role.
