Ravens fans lined up on the outskirts of the Under Armour Performance Center practice field in Owings Mills were temporarily disappointed when reigning NFL Most Valuable Player Lamar Jackson failed to make his normal entrance with the rest of the quarterbacks.
Jackson was out Sunday after being sent home with an undisclosed illness, coach John Harbaugh said after the first day of full team practice.
“He came in yesterday with something off,” Harbaugh said. “We tried to get some fluids in him and he just wasn’t able to go.”
Jackson had been at practice earlier in the week, with quarterbacks and injured veterans having reported to training camp on Monday.
The Ravens superstar is coming off an MVP season in which he threw for 3,678 yards and 24 touchdowns while rushing for 821 yards and five scores, leading the Ravens to a league-best 13-4 record in the regular season. His passing yardage and completion percentage were career highs, and he led Baltimore to the AFC championship game before becoming the youngest player at age 27 to be named MVP of the league twice.
Despite Jackson’s absence, the team expressed confidence in its franchise quarterback.
“This is the most comfortable I’ve been with a team,” wide receiver Rashod Bateman said. “We’re a tight knit group that wants to get better every day. It’s a blessing to play with guys like that.”
Harbaugh said it was the organization’s goal to elevate Jackson to the point where his name is synonymous with the legends of the game.
“The Ravens have always had a vision for [Jackson],” he said. “The vision we have together is that Lamar Jackson will be commonly recognized as the greatest quarterback to ever play in the National Football League.”
Receiver Zay Flowers also expressed excitement what the offense is capable of in his second season now that the unit has added a fully healthy Bateman along with coveted free agent running back signing Derrick Henry to the team’s backfield next to Jackson.
“You gotta stop two guys even before you get to me,” Flowers said, smiling about the new Jackson-Henry tandem.
Harbaugh indicated that Jackson is day-to-day, saying that his quarterback will be back “when he isn’t sick anymore.”
The Ravens will open their season Sept. 5 against the Kansas City Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium in a rematch of last year’s AFC title game at M&T Bank Stadium.
Two rookies missing from practice
Jackson wasn’t the only player to miss practice Sunday.
Rookie cornerback T.J. Tampa and outside linebacker Adisa Isaac were both absent after being placed on the physically unable to perform list and non-football injury list, respectively, earlier this week.
Tampa, a fourth-round draft pick, had double sports hernia surgery and will be out for at least a few weeks, while Isaac, a third-round selection, is still dealing with a hamstring injury and will be out possibly another week or two.
Running back Keaton Mitchell, who tore his ACL in mid-December, is expected to be out all of training camp.
Baltimore Sun reporter Brian Wacker contributed to this article.
Harbaugh said Lamar started feeling sick yesterday and he’ll be back when he feels better #RavensFlock pic.twitter.com/b7DHiS0CvU
— Brian Wacker (@brianwacker1) July 21, 2024
