June 30, 2026, 12:18 p.m. ET
Whenever an NFL team installs a new offense, there are growing pains. Terminology changes. Formations change. Responsibilities evolve. Every player spends the spring and summer learning a new language before trying to execute it at full speed once the regular season arrives. The Baltimore Ravens are no different in that regard.
Declan Doyle is bringing an entirely new offensive system to his new team and coaching staff. It’s one heavily influenced by his time working under Sean Payton and Ben Johnson. As expected, according to ESPN’s Ben Solak, the biggest adjustment won’t belong to the wide receivers or offensive line.
It belongs to Lamar Jackson. No worries. QB1 has made a habit of proving his doubters wrong.
Lamar Jackson will shoulder more responsibility before the snap
Jackson has always been one of the NFL’s smartest quarterbacks, but Solak believes this season presents a unique challenge. For the first time in years, the Ravens will enter a season without former Pro Bowl center Tyler Linderbaum, who handled much of Baltimore’s communication and protection work before departing in free agency.
Expert NFL picks: Exclusive betting insights only at USA TODAY.
Now those responsibilities shift more heavily toward Jackson. As Solak explained, Baltimore’s new offense is among the league’s most detailed systems. It features extensive motion, shifting formations, personnel packages, and protection adjustments.
That means Jackson won’t simply be reading defenses after the snap. He’ll spend considerably more time solving them before the play even begins. Meanwhile, an inexperienced group featuring Danny Pinter, Jovaughn Gwyn, Corey Bullock, and first-round rookie Vega Ioane continues competing for roles along the interior offensive line.
Fortunately, Lamar Jackson may be uniquely equipped for the challenge
Building chemistry and mastering protection calls will become one of the biggest storylines of training camp. If there’s good news, Solak believes the Ravens have exactly the right quarterback for the job.
While Jackson is often celebrated for his athleticism and improvisational brilliance, Solak argued that his mental processing before the snap remains one of the more underrated parts of his game. He believes Jackson is a far better pre-snap processor than many outside Baltimore give him credit for.
That’s an important distinction. Installing a complicated offense only works when the quarterback fully understands every adjustment, every protection, and every answer to what the defense presents. Jackson has spent eight seasons mastering NFL defenses, and Doyle now has the opportunity to pair that experience with a more expansive offensive system. Something he said summed it up perfectly.
“Growth happens on the other side of stress, so we need to stress them… We need to figure out what they can handle because you’re trying to figure out how you can be the most difficult to defend. So, we’re trying to give them quite a bit.”
In other words, pressure bursts pipes, but it also forges diamonds. Jackson provides the stability. Doyle provides the creativity. If the two can quickly get on the same page, Baltimore may possess one of the NFL’s most dangerous offenses.
If Doyle’s system truly lives up to its reputation, he couldn’t ask for a better quarterback than Lamar Jackson to bring it to life. It’s easy to find optimism in this mixture of coach and quarterback.