Coming off a 2021 campaign that was ended prematurely by an ankle injury, many believe that Lamar Jackson and the Baltimore Ravens as a team are poised for a major bounce back in 2022.
Prior to suffering his injury in Week 14 of last season, Jackson had his team in first place in both the AFC North division and AFC Conference as a whole through the first half of the season. During the team’s hot start to the year, many pundits viewed him as the front runner to win his second league MVP and ESPN’s Dan Orlovsky believes that he will not only be in the running again but will bring home the hardware after setting the NFL ablaze again.
.@danorlovsky7 predicts that Lamar Jackson will be league MVP of the 2022 season.
“I think Lamar Jackson is going to absolutely flame the NFL this year.”
Reasons for Optimism
Orlovsky cites the maturation and projected break out of second-year wide receiver Rashod Bateman coupled with additions and upgrades that general manager Eric DeCosta made to the roster as part of the reasoning he is so confident in his bold prediction.
He was particularly high on the selection of interior offensive lineman Tyler Linderbaum in the first round and tight end Isaiah Likely in the fourth. Linderbaum is slated to be Jackson’s starting center and bring versatility to the Ravens’ blocking scheme on offense. The former Iowa Hawkeye impressed in his NFL debut against the Washington Commanders in the preseason finale.
.@Ravens @TLinderbaum made his rookie debut; enough to glimpse what all the fuss was about. Your offense starts with the snap and the center! #ravensflock #BaldysBreakdowns
Likely was the brightest star for the Ravens in the preseason and is expected to have a significant role as a weapon for Jackson in the passing game. Orlovsky sees the terrific trio that he will form with veterans Nick Boyle and Mark Andrews who fresh off a First Team All-Pro season are going to be key in the success of Jackson and the offense as a whole.
“They’re going to play awesome football,” he said. “That’s the strength when Lamar is at his best with those multiple tight ends on the field.”
Is 8 catches for 100 receiving yards good? Likely.
Jackson became just the second player in NFL history to be voted the Most Valuable Player in the league unanimously following a breakout season in his first as a full-time starter in 2019. He led the league in passing touchdowns with 36, broke the single-season rushing record for a quarterback with 1206, and led the Ravens to a franchise record and league-best 14-2 record.
“It think that he is going to have an even better performance than he did in his 2019 MVP season,” Orlovsky said.
Promising Young Edge Defender Available on Waivers
One of the Ravens’ biggest remaining needs is at outside linebacker where they lack healthy depth with both Tyus Bowser and David Ojabo recovering from torn Achilles tendons and neither will be available to start the regular season. Bowser will miss at least the first four games after being placed on the reserve/PUP list on August 26, 2022.
With that in mind, one young edge rusher that recently became available is third-year pro Bradlee Anae who was waived by the New York Jets on August 29, 2022.
Jets waiving DE Bradlee Anae, per @TomPelissero
Anae was originally drafted by the Dallas Cowboys in the fifth round of the 2020 NFL Draft out of Utah. While he hasn’t seen much regular season action in his first two years in the league due to a lack of opportunity on a loaded depth chart in Dallas, he has flashed in the preseason, possesses some alluring traits, and is the kind inexpensive stop-gap or solid depth piece they could be looking to add for the time being.
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ESPN Analyst Predicts Ravens QB Lamar Jackson Will Win Another MVP