What Concerns Rod Woodson about Lamar Jackson’s Role in Ravens’ New Offense

The Ravens hired a defensive head coach out of the Harbaugh lineage, lost two tight ends in the offseason, and now have to decide how Lamar Jackson is going to play in 2025, and Hall of Fame defensive back Rod Woodson, joining Rich, said the personnel decisions ahead of the draft will tell you which version of Lamar Baltimore plans to deploy, and which version puts him most at risk.

Asked for his early read on Jesse Minter's offensive structure with Lamar, Woodson zeroed in on the formation question rather than the scheme branding. "It's going to be interesting to see the difference of how they use Lamar," Woodson said. "Do they still structure him and put him in a system where his attributes come to the forefront. So, he can run, he can get out of the pocket, he can make plays with his leg."

The heart of Woodson's concern is what happens if Baltimore moves Lamar into more 11 personnel, a scheme built around one back, one tight end, and three receivers. "If you're going to put him in a true West Coast and put him in 11 personnel and he's running read options and zone reads and RPOs, I mean, he can do it, yes, but Lamar is Lamar likes to make plays," Woodson said. The trap, in Woodson's view, is improvisational drift. "That's the only thing that scares me with him being in 11 a whole bunch because he might start taking getting taking off a little bit too much and starting to get hit again, and that's one thing you don't want to see."

Woodson's preferred answer was 12 personnel, two tight ends and two receivers, which protects Lamar and leans into the running game. That requires the front office to replace what walked out the door at tight end. "If you want Lamar to be in the 12 personnel, two tight ends, two receivers, and running back, then you need another stud at the tight end position," he said. Rich surfaced the name beginning to circulate at 14th overall: Tyler Warren.

Rich pressed Woodson on whether the move toward a defensive-minded staff and Derrick Henry in the backfield essentially decided the question on its own. "That leopard is not changing that spot, man," Rich argued. Woodson agreed in principle but warned against the temptation that comes with a quarterback this gifted. "When you have Lamar, sometimes you can like get so enamored of what he can do throwing the football and running it on his own that you lose sight of the bigger picture of still having Derrick Henry," Woodson said. He noted Keaton Mitchell's loss but pointed to Justice Hill as a remaining weapon in the backfield.

The through-line, Woodson said, was preservation. "Making sure Lamar protects himself and let him be healthy throughout the whole year. If they can do that, a lot of good things can happen for you."