The Baltimore Ravens have settled their depth chart, and they're keeping three quarterbacks on the roster this year.
In a bit of a surprise, former Washington star and 2012 Rookie of the Year Robert Griffin III made the Ravens' roster, and will serve as Joe Flacco's primary backup to start the season. Rookie Lamar Jackson, for whom the Ravens traded up at the No. 32 overall pick in this year's draft, will begin the season as the team's third-string quarterback.
.@RGIII has made the @Ravens 53-man roster.
— NFL Network (@nflnetwork) September 2, 2018
But thanks to his impressive preseason tape, will he be in Baltimore for the duration of 2018? Or could we see him in another uniform at some point?
(via @TomPelissero) pic.twitter.com/dJg3LfIztK
Some clarity here: My understanding is the #Ravens aren’t trading RG3 and the plan is he’ll enter the season as No. 2 QB behind Joe Flacco. Rookie Lamar Jackson gets to sit, learn (and probably do other fun stuff, too). https://t.co/OR3i99WR1C
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) September 2, 2018
Across four preseason contests, Griffin completed 27 of 41 passes for 243 yards, two touchdowns and an interception. Jackson, meanwhile, went 34 of 68 for 408 yards, three touchdowns and an interception, with 23 carries for 136 yards and three more scores. Griffin gained 52 yards on his 11 preseason carries.
It's possible the Ravens could look to trade Griffin to a QB-needy team at some point. Jackson is pretty clearly the team's quarterback of the future, given the assets they sacrificed to move up and grab him in the first round, but Griffin is good to have around as a security blanket in the interim.
Neither player is likely to get much burn during the regular season unless Flacco gets injured or completely implodes. Flacco has missed just six games during his NFL career and, despite his declining play in recent seasons, has not been benched for performance reasons.
