Lamar Jackson recently completed his first full installation of the Baltimore Ravens' offense under new offensive coordinator Declan Doyle, and his assessment is both emphatic and promising.
"I feel like there's going to be a lot of explosiveness this year," Jackson said following the team's mandatory minicamp in early June 2026.
This offseason has been marked by the transition from former offensive coordinator Todd Monken, who departed after two seasons to become the head coach for the Jacksonville Jaguars, to Declan Doyle, who has brought a fresh approach to the Ravens' offense. Jackson's remarks suggest he is embracing this new system enthusiastically, signaling a potentially dynamic season ahead.
"Coach Doyle wants me involved a lot, you know," Jackson remarked. "I'm having fun with the new system."
Jackson has long been noted for his dual-threat abilities, combining elite running skills with sharp passing execution. In the 2025 season, he recorded 349 rushing yards and two rushing touchdowns over 13 games, along with 2,549 passing yards and 21 touchdown passes. Yet his incorporation into the passing scheme has varied depending on the coordinator's design. Compared to the more run-heavy system under Greg Roman and the expanded passing concepts under Monken, Doyle's approach appears to further integrate Jackson's versatility.
Jackson described the atmosphere at minicamp as "smooth," and emphasized his excitement for the upcoming season: "I feel like everything is new right now, but it's cool. Just looking forward to the season."
The term "explosiveness" is especially notable. Baltimore finished seventh in yards per play in 2025, averaging 5.7 yards, but struggled with consistency on chunk plays--those passing plays gaining 20 or more yards. While wideout Zay Flowers led the team with 86 receptions for 1,211 yards and five touchdowns, defenses often focused their attention on running back Derrick Henry, who posted an impressive 1,595 rushing yards and 16 touchdowns. This sometimes forced Jackson into tighter windows on deep passes.
Doyle's offensive scheme, featuring pre-snap motion and layered route concepts, aims to create more reliable separation for targets like Flowers and Rashod Bateman. The goal is to elevate Jackson's deep-ball efficiency beyond the levels seen last season, where he completed 63.6% of his passes. The Ravens' 2025 offense averaged 7.7 yards per pass attempt, and projections suggest Doyle's system could lift that to approximately 8.2 in 2026--a mark that would match Jackson's peak from his MVP year in 2019.
The Center Position: A Crucial Competition
Another major storyline of the offseason concerns Baltimore's search for a starting center.
The departure of three-year incumbent Tyler Linderbaum to the Chicago Bears left a void in the offensive line's core. General manager Eric DeCosta has overseen a competition involving Danny Pinter, Nick Dawkins, and Corey Bullock to fill that pivotal role.
Jackson weighed in positively on the options available, stating simply, "I'm liking our choices at center."
Pinter, a 29-year-old veteran acquired this offseason, brings valuable experience from his tenure with the Indianapolis Colts, where he started 17 games at center and guard. He is perceived as a stable, savvy option capable of making line calls and managing snap exchanges with consistency.
Dawkins, 25, spent the previous season on Baltimore's practice squad and possesses an athletic profile conducive to the Ravens' zone-blocking scheme. Bullock remains the long shot among the candidates.
Jackson's endorsement suggests the competition remains open or that Pinter may have edged ahead. A quarterback's trust in his center is vital, particularly for a player like Jackson who thrives on instinct and off-schedule playmaking.
Given Pinter's familiarity with comparable blocking schemes from his time in Indianapolis under coach Shane Steichen, he is a strong candidate to claim the Week 1 starting role. With roughly $17.14 million in cap space available, the Ravens could still pursue additional veteran reinforcements if needed ahead of training camp.
Implications for Baltimore's 2026 Season
Heading into the 2026 campaign, the Ravens hold +1000 odds to win the Super Bowl according to betting sites like FanDuel and DraftKings, tying them for the fourth-shortest odds league-wide. The foundation of this optimism includes a healthy Lamar Jackson, the powerful running game led by Derrick Henry, and a top-five defense now under rookie head coach Jesse Minter.
While minicamp reports often carry limited predictive value, Jackson's comments stand out because of their specificity and clear enthusiasm. His use of terms like "explosiveness," along with positive remarks about involvement and system flow, indicate a genuine belief in the offense's upward trajectory rather than cautious optimism.
The center competition stands as perhaps the most critical schematic variable heading into the season. The Ravens' ground game relies heavily on the center's ability to identify blitzes and orchestrate protections. Success at this position will allow Henry to replicate his outstanding 16-touchdown campaign and mitigate pressure on Jackson.
Baltimore faces a challenging AFC North slate featuring strong defensive fronts from Cincinnati, Cleveland, and Pittsburgh. Cleveland's formidable interior rush, anchored by a returning edge defender and a rotating nose tackle unit, will test the new center's mettle immediately.
Prediction: The Ravens start 3-1 through September, with the only loss coming in a shootout at Cincinnati. Pinter starts approximately 14 games, the center play holds up better than expected, and the offense averages 27.3 points per game--ranking third in the league.
The "explosiveness" Jackson anticipates hinges on solid offensive line play, but for the first time in a coaching transition, the franchise quarterback sounds confident that the pieces are coming together. That confidence provides a critical foundation for Baltimore's prospects in the 2026 NFL season--a promising outlook rooted not in hope but in clear early signs of progress.
