Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson missed the final four games of the season with an ankle injury but, according to the latest NFL rumors, the former MVP is back on his feet and getting ready for 2021. In other news, Mac Jones discussed his receiver situation while Deshea Townsend earned a promotion with the Jacksonville Jaguars.
NFL Rumors: Lamar Jackson, Mac Jones, Deshea Townsend
Lamar Jackson is finally healthy and back on his feet. Just two days after the Super Bowl, the quarterback posted videos to his Instagram showing him throwing a football. Back in January, head coach John Harbaugh stated that Jackson would be back to work after the Super Bowl, and these videos show that Jackson’s recovery is right on schedule.
Jackson had a solid season before an ankle injury prematurely ended his campaign. While on the field, the quarterback completed 64.4 of his passing attempts for 2,882 yards, 16 touchdowns, and 13 interceptions while adding another 767 yards and two touchdowns on the ground. Even with the missed games, Jackson still earned a spot at the Pro Bowl for his efforts on an injury-ravaged Ravens squad.
Tyler Huntley did his best in relief of Jackson, but it ultimately wasn’t enough to make the playoffs. For the first time in Jackson’s career, the quarterback spent January out of the postseason. Now, given a full offseason to recover and a healthy roster, the former MVP and the Ravens are in a good position to compete for a title in 2022.
Mac Jones “Happy” With Current Receivers
Despite being the fifth quarterback selected in the 2021 NFL Draft, New England Patriots Mac Jones easily had the best rookie season of all of the first-year passers. The Alabama product guided New England to their playoff appearance of the post-Brady era despite having lesser-known names at the wide receiver position.
While making an appearance on Phil Perry’s podcast, the young quarterback said that he believes the Patriots already have plenty of skill-position talent, but he acknowledged that it’s ultimately up to the team to make any roster decisions.
“I think we made a lot of progress this year with the guys we had and I trust all those guys. Just being young, they all had my back in the receiver, tight end, and running back room. We have a lot of room to grow in my opinion. I’ll leave that up to the front office and all that, but I’m happy with the guys we have.”
Jones may think the current receiver group is good enough, but New England should look into adding more playmaking talent. Jakobi Meyers, Kendrick Bourne, and Hunter Henry are all solid complimentary players, but they lack the big-play element to take this offense to the next level. Bill Belichick likely saw what Stefon Diggs did for Josh Allen and Ja’Marr Chase did for Joe Burrow and could be looking for a similar player for his young quarterback.
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Deshea Townsend Joins Jacksonville Jaguars Staff
After officially moving on from the Urban Meyer Era, head coach Doug Pederson is continuing to build his staff. According to Aaron Wilson of Pro Football Network, the Jaguars are hiring Deshea Townsend to be their defensive passing game coordinator and secondary coach.
Interestingly enough, Townsend was supposed to join first-year head coach Kevin O’Connell in Minnesota to be the defensive backs coach. However, Jacksonville’s opening proved too good to turn down, as the passing game coordinator comes with more responsibility.
Prior to joining the Jaguars, Townsend spent the past three years as a secondary coach with the Chicago Bears. This will be his first time serving as a coordinator since joining the coaching ranks in 2011.
Put simply, Townsend has his hands full. The Jaguars defense was one of the worst in the league last year, allowing 7.6 yards per completion and ranking 31st in dropback EPA/play.
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