The Ravens ended the first round by drafting Louisville quarterback Lamar Jackson, a sign that Joe Flacco’s days are numbered. But coach John Harbaugh says Flacco remains the starter in 2018.
“Joe Flacco is our quarterback,” Harbaugh said. “Lamar is going to have a great chance to develop. I think you get to this stage in a quarterback’s career – you’ve seen it done in New England, we’ve seen it done in a lot of places – it’s time to start thinking about drafting a quarterback. When the opportunity came to get a really good one, I think you have to jump on it and take it. This really doesn’t change things in a sense that we’re going to go with Joe, and Joe’s going to roll. I can’t wait for the season to start. But when you add a talented player like this who can come in and play if he needs to, and win for us, that’s a big plus.”
Harbaugh dismissed talk that Jackson would play any other position.
“The big thing is he’s a quarterback, and that’s the first thing to remember,” Harbaugh said. “He’s a quarterback through and through, and he’s a playmaker. When you look at stats and you evaluate him, he does all the things that any quarterback does. But we do some analytics, and when the ball is in his hands, there hadn’t been a better playmaker, really, in the last few years coming out [of the draft]. He’s a great quarterback – start with that.”
He may be a better quarterback than Flacco, even if for now the Ravens say they’re not making a change.