Lamar Jackson
Lamar Jackson remains an elite dual-threat QB1 for the Ravens, but his rushing has dipped this season and he's now explained why: lingering effects from a 2024 injury limited how much he could run, not a scheme-driven pivot away from designed QB runs.
Role
Full-time starter and unquestioned first read of Baltimore's offense, taking essentially every meaningful snap; passing volume stays high, but his rushing attempts/yards per game and his rate of scrambling into contact have trended down compared to his peak MVP seasons, per his own comments about last year's injury limiting him.
Jackson's own explanation implies the drop in rushing was injury-driven rather than a permanent change in how the Ravens use him, so as he gets further from that injury his legs could return to previous MVP-level volume, adding a rushing floor on top of already strong passing production.
A quarterback publicly acknowledging that a prior injury still shaped his decision-making about running is also a reason to expect the team and player to continue managing his exposure to hits going forward, meaning the rushing dip could be the new normal rather than a temporary blip.
Where analysts split
I was not able to retrieve current analyst commentary beyond the wire note itself (search tool was unavailable during this session), so I can't characterize where analysts actually split on whether his rushing rebounds or stays suppressed the rest of the year.
Research confidence: thin. Outlooks are grounded in web search over current reporting and refreshed through the season.
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