Lamar Jackson Has Still Not Practiced But Ravens Won't Rule Him Out

Tyler Huntley has emerged as a viable option.

OWINGS MILLS, Md. — Lamar Jackson has not practiced since spraining his ankle Week 14 against the Cleveland Browns.

Tyler Huntley has taken all of the first-team reps and has shown he can effectively run the offense.

Nonetheless, the Ravens are not giving up hope that Jackson will be back for a critical Week 16 game against the Bengals. 

“We’re taking it day-to-day," offensive coordinator Greg Roman said. "[I’m] not sure of the availability at this moment. But I think it does become a concern for any player when they miss time. You really want them out there working on their craft, but these things happen. You have to work through them. Before the Denver game, he missed Wednesday and Thursday, and I thought he played a great game. So, he has the capability to do that. We have all the confidence in him and Tyler.”

Jackson was in a slump before being sidelined in Cleveland.

Over his past five games, including the matchup with the Browns, Jackson completed 100 of 157 pass attempts (63.7%) for 939 yards with six touchdowns and eight interceptions (71.6 rating). He was sacked 17 times.

In two career starts, Huntley has thrown for 434 yards and produced four total touchdowns (two passing and two rushing). His 434 yards and four total touchdowns are the most by a Ravens’ homegrown quarterback in the first two starts of a career.

If Jackson cannot play against Cincinnati, the Ravens have confidence that Huntley will be able to move the ball. 

“[Tyler] been a guy who, as he’s young and he’s learning through this experience, which is really the only way to learn, he’s the guy that puts those things behind him and moves on to the next inevitable moment for a young player," Roman said. "He’s done a great job from learning from a mistake, or a misread, or a ballhandling, or cadence or whatnot. It’s all part of the process of playing one of the biggest juggling acts of professional sports, which is playing quarterback in the NFL. Every week, he gets better and better. 

"As he gains experience, I really feel like he’s going to continue to improve. As good as he played last week, I know in his mind, with the competitor that he is, he’s looking to play a little bit better all the time. I think he’s a realist when it comes to that, but also, his confidence is definitely growing. He prepares very diligently, and I think that’s one of his greatest assets.”