Jackson "up in the air" for playoffs

Ravens QB Lamar Jackson's status for the playoffs is "up in the air," according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport. Jackson still hasn't practiced since going down with a sprained PCL on December 4. He reportedly thinks he'll be ready to go next weekend, but the team isn't sure. Jackson's knee is "still not feeling quite right," Rapoport hears. "And because of the way Jackson plays the QB position, because of how active he is, because of how athletic he is, he needs that knee to be 100%." Jackson's status will be the biggest storyline of next week, leading up to the Wild Card round of the playoffs.

The Ravens are placing the non-exclusive franchise tag on QB Lamar Jackson. That means Jackson can negotiate with other teams after NFL free agency opens. If he reaches agreement with another team, Baltimore would have the option to match or get two first-round picks from the new team. Given that the two sides haven't been able to agree on a new deal yet, this move makes sense. Now the Ravens can let the market set Jackson's value. We'd still bet on him re-signing, but it'll be an interesting situation to watch. We'll also see whether the uncertainty can push Jackson's best ball ADP down any further. (If so, pounce.)

The Ravens are hiring Todd Monken as their OC. Monken spent the past 3 seasons as Georgia's OC, helping the Bulldogs to National Championships in both 2021 and 2022. The offense improved each season, climbing from 41st to 26th and then to 5th in yards per game. Monken spent the 4 years before that Georgia stint as an NFL OC. The first 3 came with the Bucs, who climbed from 18th in total yards to 9th and then 3rd with QB Jameis Winston. Monken then headed to Cleveland, where his 2019 Browns struggled to a 22nd-place finish in total yards in QB Baker Mayfield's 2nd season. Each of Monken's final 3 NFL offenses ranked higher in pass attempts than rush attempts. All 4 were at least league-average in terms of Pass Rate Over Expected, with the 2017 Bucs finishing at +2% and the 2018 Bucs finishing at +5%. That makes this a fascinating hire considering the Ravens were a run-leaning offense under former OC Greg Roman. We'll keep an eye on Monken's exact plans for the 2023 Ravens.

NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport believes QB Lamar Jackson will get the exclusive franchise tag. The exclusive tag would allow Baltimore to set the price in a potential deal, while the non-exclusive variety would net the team only two 1sts. Rapoport makes clear that a trade is unlikely, although such an outcome isn’t totally dismissed. An exclusive tag for Jackson would cost Baltimore roughly $45 million.

Ravens QB Lamar Jackson (knee) is facing an "uphill battle" to play in Sunday night's Wild Card game vs. the Bengals, according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport. "He is working, he is trying, he is rehabbing," Rapoport said. "The knee is just not quite right." Jackson went down on December 4 and was initially expected to miss no more than 3 weeks. He's now 5-and-a-half weeks removed from the injury. We'll get Baltimore's first practice report of the week later today, but it sounds like we should expect Tyler Huntley to be under center on Sunday night.

To no one's surprise, Ravens QB Lamar Jackson (knee) has been ruled out for Week 18 vs. the Bengals. HC John Harbaugh said on Friday that "Lamar's working as hard as he can. The trainers are working as hard as they can... That's where we're at. He won't be playing in this game, we're hopeful for next week," signaling a chance we see the former MVP in the playoffs. It's also worth noting that QB Tyler Huntley (right shoulder, wrist) only managed limited practice all week and is listed as questionable. Separate quotes from Harbaugh indicate that Huntley will be good to go, however. We don't feel Huntley is worth much fantasy consideration this week as he's scored less than 13 fantasy points in 4 consecutive games.