Lamar Jackson remained absent from Ravens training camp Friday as he continues to recover from an undisclosed illness.
The quarterback, who briefly returned to practice Wednesday for about an hour before leaving the field looking weary after only a few repetitions, has been sick since Saturday, the day before the start of practice. There is no definitive timetable for his return, though it is not believed to be a long-term concern.
“He’s fighting through an illness, working with our doctors, doing all the tests, even more tests, to make sure we have everything covered,” coach John Harbaugh said Friday as the team returned to the field in Owings Mills after a day off Thursday. “I’m confident he’ll be back pretty soon. It’s just an unpredictable deal.”
In the meantime, the two-time and reigning NFL Most Valuable Player “continues to undergo further evaluation and receive care from our medical team,” according to the team.
Josh Johnson, Baltimore’s 38-year-old backup, has been filling in for Jackson with the first-team offense in the meantime.
“He’s a got a great grasp of the offense,” Harbaugh said of Johnson. “He handles it well. He operates it well. He makes all the decisions. He’s throwing the ball well, playing good football. That’s why he’s here. You think about the big picture and the long run, there’s a real benefit of that, him getting a lot of reps.”
Jackson, meanwhile, has missed four of the team’s first five practices of training camp. He has also missed at least one practice because of illness in each of his first seven seasons in the NFL, as well as two games. Jackson was placed on the COVID-19 list in 2020 and sat out a Week 12 game against the Pittsburgh Steelers that was delayed three times as the Ravens dealt with an outbreak. He was also ruled out with an illness in Week 11 the following season against the Chicago Bears.
Harbaugh said Tuesday of Jackson’s extended absence that it was “just a matter of when the doctors are going to clear him and he’s going to feel good enough.”
His one appearance of the week did not go well or last long.
Jackson ran just a few plays with the first team Wednesday and threw an interception on a badly overthrown pass over the middle that landed in the hands of awaiting defense back Marlon Humphrey. The quarterback exited the field shortly thereafter, holding his helmet and with a few members of the team’s training staff.
“Between Lamar and the doctors … he just wasn’t feeling up to it,” Harbaugh said Friday. “You’ve got hydration, there’s an energy level thing. It’s part of being sick.”
It’s also been an adjustment for the offense, which has looked inconsistent at best all week, particularly against the pass rush.
Jackson’s absence has allowed Johnson and rookies Devin Leary and Emory Jones to get more reps at quarterback, with Friday marking the first practice in which players were in full pads.
“You never know throughout the course of the season whatever is gonna happen, so it’s always good to get work with other people,” Pro Bowl center Tyler Linderbaum said. “We’ll be excited when Lamar is back, for sure.”
The star quarterback is coming off a season in which he set career highs in passing yards and completion percentage while leading the Ravens to an NFL-best 13-4 regular-season record and an appearance in the AFC championship game. At 27 years old, he became the youngest player to be named NFL MVP twice.
