Baltimore Ravens undeniably possess one of the most dangerous offensive firepower with the likes of Lamar Jackson, Derrick Henry, and Zay Flowers. But if one were to note a potential deficiency, it lies in the lackluster depth the Ravens have in the QB position. As things stand, Baltimore is one Lamar Jackson injury away from having their season derailed as his backups so far have failed to inspire confidence.
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Currently, journeyman QB Josh Johnson is the only officially listed backup to Jackson in the Ravens’ depth chart. Based on Josh’s career trajectory so far, consistency and TDs are what he has lacked the most. Since debuting in 2009 for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Josh has plied his trade for 14 more teams before finally finding a home in Baltimore this year.
What’s worse is that he has just 13 touchdowns in his 15+ years in the NFL as a QB. So, relying on Josh to solve a scoring crisis in Lamar’s absence is not arguably an ideal solution for the Ravens. But what the journeyman QB does provide the Ravens with is years of expertise and an elder brotherly presence in the locker room.
“[Johnson is] like having another coach, and he’s great with Lamar, the players love him, he’s highly respected, [and] he’s a talented player. So, we love Josh,” said Ravens GM Eric DeCosta.
Based on this statement, it’s clear that the management looks at Josh for his intangibles, which is why they re-signed Tyler ‘Snoop’ Huntley to their practice squad days ago.
When compared to Johnson, what gives Tyler the edge is his familiarity with the Ravens setup, especially with Lamar. Huntley, despite being an undrafted free agent, has spent the last four years as Lamar’s backup with decent output. In his last four seasons for the team, the 26-year-old has scored 8 touchdowns with a 64.6 pass completion percentage for 1957 yards.
But the biggest advantage for Tyler lies in his dual ability to rush and pass the ball. For context, the former Utah player has rushed for 509 yards with three touchdowns in the big league. While he is currently on the practice squad, indicating more of an emergency QB role, his presence serves as a safety net for the Ravens if the Josh Johnson experiment fails.
Based on stats and merit, Tyler, in an ideal situation, should be favored over Johnson. However, as GM DeCosta emphasized, both the players and management have great respect for the veteran’s talent.
From a monetary perspective, it’s a low-risk scenario as both QBs are on modest wages. Fans will certainly be intrigued to see who ultimately makes the cut if Lamar faces an unfortunate injury in the coming months.
