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 made good use of his rushing ability on Sunday, leading the Ravens in rushing with 101 yards and 2 TDs on 14 carries vs. the Colts. He also completed 22 of 31 passes for 202 yards through the air in the Week 3 OT loss. The Ravens still have yet to record a ton of damage through the air this season, but it’s always great any time Jackson’s legs rack up that many fantasy points. Next up on the schedule for Jackson and company is a divisional bout against the Browns in Week 4.

Ravens QB Lamar Jackson threw for 237 yards and 2 TDs in Sunday's win over the Bengals. He added 54 rushing yards on 12 attempts, leading Baltimore in carries in the first game since RB J.K. Dobbins' injury. Jackson didn't take any sacks and avoided turnovers. He gets a favorable matchup with the Colts in Week 3 before a potentially tougher spot against Cleveland in Week 4.

Ravens QB Lamar Jackson threw for just 169 yards on 17-of-22 passing in Sunday's win over the Texans. He added 38 yards on 6 carries to lead the team in rushing but didn't score via run or pass. Jackson did throw an INT and take 4 sacks. Baltimore RBs accounted for all 3 TDs, with Justice Hill scoring twice after J.K. Dobbins' Achilles' injury. (Dobbins scored the other TD.) It was a disappointing fantasy day for Jackson, but there's no reason for concern on that front going forward.

Ravens GM Eric DeCosta gushed about QB Lamar Jackson's standing heading into the season opener. "Lamar’s attitude has been excellent this year," DeCosta said. "I think last year was a challenging year for a lot of reasons, obviously, just where he was with his contract. This year, his enthusiasm has been fantastic. He’s throwing the ball very, very well. He’s been able to build a great rapport with the WRs very, very quickly. He’s taking care of his body. He seems really into the offense – he's excited about it. He has an awesome relationship with his coaches, and he worked very hard this offseason." With a pass-happier OC and significantly upgraded WR corps, Jackson's 2023 fantasy upside extends to the top of the QB position.

ESPN analyst Matt Bowen expects the Ravens to play at a faster pace this season. That wasn’t the case last year; Baltimore ranked bottom-5 in plays per minute (1.63) and no-huddle rate (4.4%). “They decided last year under [OC Greg] Roman they were going to control tempo by slowing it down,” Bowen said. “[It was] a lot more condensed formations; they had much different personnel than you’ll see this year. [Fullback] Patrick Ricard last year played a critical role in that offense; I don’t know that he has a pivotal role this year with what I expect to see out of Monken." Bowen, a former NFL safety, shared more on his forecast for the 2023 Ravens. “This year, and I have old playbooks of Todd Monken, is a lot more spread, a lot more trips, a lot more empty," he continued. "What they’re trying to do with pace of play is to be more aggressive and control tempo in terms of creating more tempo.” We detailed more of Monken’s impact in a new article on NFL Coaching Changes. Overall, we’re bullish on this offense making considerable improvements.