If anyone has a clue as to what’s going on between Lamar Jackson and the Baltimore Ravens, general manager Eric DeCosta is probably at the top of the list. If the season were to start today, either Anthony Brown or Tyler Huntley would be Baltimore’s starting quarterback, as Jackson is not under contract for next season, and as a practical matter, neither is Huntley, with him yet to sign his restricted free agent tender.
Obviously this is far from ideal for the Ravens, yet as we all know, the start of the NFL season is still several months away, giving Baltimore plenty of time to come up with a solution.
Of course, the standstill remains between the Ravens and Jackson, with the two sides unable to agree on contract value. This could change at any moment, but the Ravens also need to continue putting together the rest of their roster, especially with the 2023 NFL Draft less than a month away.
With the Ravens holding the 22nd pick in the first round, they would appear to be out of the draft range of the top four quarterback prospects, but crazier things have happened. While their plan is likely to still have Jackson under contract for the 2023 season, hoping he either signs his one-year franchise tag valued at $32.4 million or agrees to a long-term extension, what if plans go awry?
This is apparently a situation team GM Eric DeCosta is preparing for, with the franchise setting a meeting with Florida QB Anthony Richardson, in addition to the Ravens’ decision-maker’s comments on Wednesday.
Doing his best to avoid discussing the Lamar Jackson situation altogether, DeCosta wouldn’t rule out the possibility of selecting a quarterback in the first round when speaking to the media.
““It depends on the board. It really does. I’d have to say yes because we have quarterbacks in our top 31. So just based on that alone, simple math, I would have to say yes.”
Baltimore Ravens GM Eric DeCosta on considering a QB with team’s first pick (H/T Pro Football Talk)
Chances are, the Ravens won’t have a chance at coming anywhere close to prospects such as Bryce Young, C.J. Stroud, Anthony Richardson, or even Will Levis, but DeCosta says they’re not limited to just those four. In fact, DeCosta states, “there’s probably more than four guys” who can develop into “significant” QBs in the 2023 draft class.
In other words, keep a close eye on the Ravens on draft day when it comes to selecting a QB, which is something few anticipated in 2019 when Lamar Jackson won NFL MVP.
Related: Baltimore Ravens mock draft 2023: Getting some much-needed weapons on offense