Ravens’ offensive coordinator Greg Roman stepped down earlier this morning. For years, Ravens’ fans had been calling for Roman’s job. Ever since he won NFL Assistant Coach of the Year in 2020, Roman’s offenses have underperformed, and even with the absence of Lamar Jackson for several games, Roman carried most of the blame for Baltimore’s offensive struggles late in the year.
Since the Ravens’ loss to the Cincinnati Bengals last weekend, the normally drama-free Ravens have been inundated with stories coming out regarding the team’s suboptimal locker room culture. Head coach John Harbaugh threw his backup quarterback under the bus for the goal-line fumble that resulted in the game-winning touchdown for Cincy.
He said, “[The sneak] wasn’t executed the right way.” Harbaugh continued, “Tyler [Huntley] went over the top. He needs to go low on that. That’s how the play is designed.”Although the lead halfback JK Dobbins didn’t blame the loss on Huntley, even he came to the realization that if they’d had Lamar, they “would have won.”
Now begins an uncertain offseason for the Ravens, one marred with the potential of losing out on their franchise quarterback. Should that happen, the Ravens would be an incoming OC’s worst nightmare. Injury-prone running backs, an unproven yet still somehow disappointing wide receiver corps. I mean, sure, you’ve got a solid O-line and Mark Andrews, but without Jackson, the latter option is pretty much irrelevant.
In five games (four in the regular season and the team’s lone playoff game) without Jackson this year, Andrews recorded just 22 catches on 37 targets, 266 yards, and zero touchdowns. On a per-game basis, that’s just 4.4 catches, 53.2 yards, and of course 0.0 tuddies. Andrews did have some success without Jackson in 2021, but I’d consider this a “What have you done for me lately” situation, and the answer is “Not a whole lot.”
Of course, if Lamar re-signs with Baltimore, then everything is good. As long as the Ravens pick up at least one solid receiver, this offense would be a great opportunity for any OC. Until that day comes though, the uncertainty may leave many potential candidates feeling uneasy.
