Monken makes call, has Lamar shed wristband

OWINGS MILLS, Md. — Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson is sporting a new look in training camp, although it would take a keen eye to detect it.

For the first time in his six-year NFL career, Jackson is no longer wearing a wristband with all the Ravens offensive plays written on it. Todd Monken, who is in his first season as the team’s offensive coordinator, wanted Jackson to make the change.

“One of the most important things is your ability to communicate the calls, and the best way for that to happen is to not start with wristbands,” Monken said Friday. “He [Jackson] has to hear what I say; he has to process the call; he has to regurgitate to the players; he has to get the cadence.”

This is the latest wrinkle under Monken, who joined the Ravens after calling plays for two-time national champion Georgia. During this offseason, Jackson said the new offense will allow him to throw the ball more and give him more freedom to change plays at the line of scrimmage.

Earlier this week, Jackson revealed that he’s not wearing a wristband because Monken wants him to “call it and haul it.”

“We can always go to wristbands,” Monken said. “Wristbands are easy; you just read it. Hard is learning the offense, being able to process and make the calls.”

Jackson was noncommittal on whether he will play the entire season without the list of plays on his wrist.

“I’m saying for right now — at the beginning of training camp,” Jackson said. “The playbook might get longer throughout the process, so we’ll see.”

Baltimore hired Monken in February to get Jackson and this once dominant offense on track. The Ravens’ scoring has dropped in each of the last four seasons, from an NFL-best 33.2 points per game in 2019 to 20.6 points per game in 2022 (19th in the league).

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