The Baltimore Ravens have found plenty of success with quarterback Lamar Jackson over his first four seasons in the NFL. Since taking over as the starter, Jackson has led the Ravens to a 37-12 record, three postseason appearances and a franchise best 14-2 record in 2019.
Gary Davenport of Bleacher Report recently published an article that ranks the NFL’s true franchise cornerstones entering 2022, defining a cornerstone player as the foundation of an NFL team. On his list, Davenport ranked Jackson as the fourth cornerstone player in the league, explaining that the dual-threat quarterback’s ability has helped the team win more often than not.
“It didn’t take long for Jackson to start making some. In his second NFL campaign, he set a high-water mark for rushing yards by a quarterback in a season with 1,206. He also silenced many of the critics of his abilities as a passer, leading the NFL in touchdown passes (36) and touchdown percentage (9.0). The good times kept rolling the following season. In 2020, Jackson accomplished a feat that no quarterback in NFL history ever has, rushing for 1,000 yards in consecutive campaigns. Just four years into his pro career, he is already seventh all-time among signal-callers in rushing yards.”
The Ravens saw Jackson go down with a bone-bruise in Week 14 against the Cleveland Browns and miss the final six games of the season. Baltimore would lose all six of those contests and ended up missing the playoffs for the first time since 2017. Jackson’s presence on the field is felt by teams on the field and it shows. The quarterback now enters his fifth NFL season and has told many that he looks forward to getting to work.