Monken named Ravens OC

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.

Ravens QB Lamar Jackson expects to throw more and run less under new OC Todd Monken. While that's good news for Baltimore's pass-catchers, it might be bad news for Jackson's fantasy value. For his career, Jackson is averaging 0.59 fantasy points per pass attempt vs. 0.81 fantasy points per rush attempt. Of course, Baltimore's improved WR corps should help Jackson's passing production. And we're ultimately not expecting him to run significantly less than he has over his first five NFL seasons. We'll be keeping a close eye on this new Monken-led Ravens offense this summer, but Jackson looks like a clear top-6 fantasy QB with upside into the top 3.

Ravens QB Lamar Jackson participated in Wednesday's OTA session. As ESPN's Jamison Hensley points out, it's Jackson's first time on the field since suffering a season-ending knee injury on December 4. With that injury -- and his contract situation -- behind him, Jackson can now focus on learning new OC Todd Monken's offense and building chemistry with new WRs Zay Flowers and Odell Beckham. His Underdog ADP has spiked into Round 3 since he signed his extension at the end of April.

The Ravens and QB Lamar Jackson have agreed to a five-year deal that will make him the league's highest-paid player. ESPN's Adam Schefter reports that it's a $260 million pact with $185 million guaranteed. The deal comes in a little higher than QB Jalen Hurts' recent extension with the Eagles and locks Jackson in as the Baltimore starter for the foreseeable future. The OC switch and investment in WR Odell Beckham Jr. suggest the Ravens would like to throw the ball significantly more than last year. Baltimore ranked just 28th in pass attempts. Jackson sits seventh in our 2023 fantasy football rankings but continues to sport upside to the top of the position.

Ravens QB Lamar Jackson won't be attending the team's voluntary offseason program, per NFL Network's Tom Pelissero. No surprise here. Jackson has not signed his non-exclusive franchise tag and remains in a contract standoff with the team. We're ultimately expecting Jackson back in Baltimore for at least 2023 and won't be moving him down the QB Rankings unless this situation bleeds into August.

Ravens QB Lamar Jackson announced Monday that he requested a trade back at the beginning of March. That likely helps explain the lack of movement on the free agency front, with Jackson on the franchise tag but allowed to negotiate with other teams. Any franchise signing Jackson would have to surrender two first-round picks to Baltimore, so we can assume the Ravens' asking price would be greater than that. The returns on trades for both Russell Wilson and Deshaun Watson were greater just last offseason -- and Jackson is (arguably?) a more valuable asset than either player. This situation doesn't seem close to resolution. We're still drafting Jackson at his mid-QB1 price in best ball drafts. But it might be a good idea to worry a little less about stacking him with Ravens pass catchers for the time being.