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There’s nothing wrong with the quarterback situation for the Baltimore Ravens as long as Lamar Jackson stays upright, but his injury history means signing a more dynamic backup than Josh Johnson makes sense. Fortunately, a dual-threat QB2 just became available after the New York Giants released Daniel Jones.
The latter asked for and was granted his release on Friday, November 22, per a statement from team president John Mara.
Although Jones lasted less than two years after signing a four-year, $160-million contract in 2023, more than one observer believes he would improve the depth chart for the Ravens at football’s most important position.
Among them, Jimmy Kempski of the Philly Voice pointed out how “If you look around the league there are a number of playoff contenders with untested or shaky backups, where Jones would make sense, like the Ravens (Josh Johnson), Dolphins (Skylar Thompson), 49ers (Brandon Allen), or Lions (Hendon Hooker), to name a few.”
Kempski ultimately dedicated his article to making a case for Jones landing with the Philadelphia Eagles. Yet, the Ravens have ample motivation to swoop in ahead of the Giants’ NFC East rivals.
That motivation is outlined by The Sporting News’ Vinny Iyer. He noted, “The Ravens have only Josh Johnson behind Lamar Jackson (and) will need to add a more solid backup for 2025. They might as well get a jump on it because they can still the run the same offense with Todd Monken because of Jones’ arm and athleticism should something put Lamar on the shelf.”
Bringing Jones to M&T Bank Stadium to replace 38-year-old Johnson might sound outlandish and unwelcome to some, but there’s merit to Iyer’s argument.
Ravens a Good Scheme Fit for Daniel Jones
The merit is based on the Ravens being close to the perfect scheme fit for Jones. That assessment isn’t just about Jones having a similar level of mobility to Jackson.
Although he’s nowhere near as quick as Jackson, Jones’ rushing skills are about timing and power. Two qualities he showcased with this touchdown run against the Indianapolis Colts in the final week of the 2022 season, highlighted by Bobby Skinner of Talkin’ Giants.
That year represented Jones’ banner campaign. The sixth player taken in the 2019 NFL draft briefly looked like a franchise QB1 thanks to a system tailored to his strengths.
It was built around taking advantage of Jones’ dual-threat attributes. The Giants had him run 49 RPOs and protected Jones with 141 play-action passes, according to Pro Football Reference.
Jones leaned on manipulating defenses with fakes and packaged plays, but he also relied heavily on the threat posed by star running back Saquon Barkley. The Giants made the ill-fated decision to pay Jones ahead of Barkley, but the Ravens could offer the discarded signal-caller similar support.
Having two-time league rushing champion Derrick Henry in the backfield would ease the pressure on Jones. So would the play calling of offensive coordinator Todd Monken, who’s had Jackson run 187 RPOs and throw off play action 122 times since taking the headset in 2023.
The Ravens run an offense Jones could execute at a competent level if he had to step in for Jackson. When Jones has been good, he’s made big plays, so the Ravens should be interested in a QB2 who could change a game if necessary.
Lamar Jackson Injury Record Creates Need for Better QB Options
There’s an obvious need for better options behind Jackson, and not just because Pro Bowler Tyler Huntley’s comeback didn’t go to plan. His swift exit left Johnson as the next man up, but the Ravens can do better than a journeyman who’s been on eight different teams.
Johnson has a mediocre 17-25 career record, per StatMuse. Jones, by contrast, proved he can win when he guided the Giants to the postseason and a playoff victory two seasons ago.
The Ravens are counting on Jackson for the playoffs, but the two-time league MVP has been hurt at the business end of a season before. Like when Jackson missed the final four games of the 2021 campaign because of an ankle problem, before a sprained knee cost him six games to close the following season.
Adding Jones as a contingency makes sense, but only once he clears waivers. Claiming the 27-year-old before then would make the Ravens “responsible for six game checks ($11,833,333),” according to NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo.
That figure means Jones is likely to clear and become a free agent. Then the Ravens would be smart to quickly offer him a short-term and team-friendly deal.
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