Ravens still plan on dialing up designed quarterback runs for Lamar Jackson

In addition to recording the most rushing yard by a quarterback in NFL history during his MVP campaign last season with a team-leading 1,206 that was also sixth-most in the entire league, Baltimore Ravens franchise signal-caller Lamar Jackson also recorded the most rushing attempts by a quarterback in a single season as well with 176 in just 15 games.

Many of those attempts came on designed runs Offensive Coordinator Greg Roman dialed up or that presented itself in zone-read situations when Jackson perfectly read and fooled the defensive end/back or just decided to bet on his ability as the superior athlete to make him miss.

While the Ravens are loaded with talented running back depth that got even deeper the addition of promising rookie J.K. Dobbins and has had more than one coach on record this offseason stating that the team will make a concerted effort to run him less this season, Jackson is still the most explosive, elusive and electric rusher on the roster and arguably in the league.

According to Pro Football Focus, Jackson’s 42 missed tackles forced per attempt was the fourth most among players with a minimum of at least 100 attempts and more than double any other quarterback in the regular season last year.

His ability to impact the game as both a precise passer and a dangerous runner is part of what makes Jackson arguably the single hardest player to defend and game plan for. While Roman isn’t tipping his hand on how much he intends on calling plays where his dynamic dual-threat quarterback will running the ball this year, he did share that the amount could vary from week to week and that its weapon that will always be at their disposal.

“I think we’ll all have to wait and find out,” Roman said Monday. “That’s just something that we can have available every week. [We’ll] do a little bit more of it this week [and] a little less of it the next week. That’s always on the table.”

What made the Ravens record-breaking rushing attack so potent last season is the same thing that will likely give them the edge in most games this year and that’s the versatility of the personnel and play design that is all predicated on and built around Jackson’s dynamic skill set.

Roman has a diverse group of skill position players at running back, wide receiver, and tight end that will allow him to matriculate the ball up and down the field and chew up the clock at will or score quick fast and in a hurry in two-minute or come from behind situations.

However, Jackson’s ability to make plays with his legs is too valuable of an asset to not utilize on a weekly basis and as far as how often he’ll dial up designed runs each week, it’ll be predicated on the flow of the game, how the opposing team is playing them and other variables.

“I also think it’s an in-game feel, how the defense is playing, all those different things,” Roman said. “We have a pretty good menu when we go into a game, and we can kind of see how the game is going. It’s something that we can definitely hang our hat on at times, and other times we won’t.”

Jackson likely won’t break his own record for rushing yards and attempts in 2020 but that doesn’t mean he won’t be any less effective or dangerous as a runner. He said in a wired training camp segment that he plans on breaking more long runs this year. If he can produce just as many explosive plays or more as a runner on fewer attempts, the team, the fans, and even his critics will be pleased with the results.