The Ravens are planning to put rookie quarterback Lamar Jackson on the field a lot this season, but they’re going to make him earn it.
That’s why, when the Ravens published their first depth chart of training camp today, they listed Jackson as the third-string quarterback. Joe Flacco is first, of course, and Robert Griffin III is second.
By the time the season starts, Jackson is a near-lock to have moved ahead of Griffin. (In fact, Griffin may not even make the 53-man roster.) But the Ravens are favoring veterans over rookies, in a sign that coach John Harbaugh wants the rookies to prove themselves.
Jackson’s fellow first-round rookie, tight end Hayden Hurst, is actually listed as the fourth-string tight end. And third-round pick Orlando Brown Jr., who has a good chance at earning the starting right tackle job, is for now listed as second string.
At this time of year, teams’ official depth charts don’t mean much. The Ravens’ depth chart says more about the way the team motivates its rookies than about the team’s actual plans for its rookies.