Jackson Loves Hunger of Ravens’ Wideouts
After a disappointing 2025 season, Jackson has sensed a new energy among his teammates.
“I feel like my guys are hungry,” Jackson said. “A lot of us was here last year, and we didn’t like how the season ended. We didn’t like how the season was going throughout the season.”
Some players tasked with righting the ship, however, weren’t in Baltimore last year. That includes the bevy of young wide receivers, most notably a pair of rookies in Elijah Sarratt in Ja’Kobi Lane.
The latter made a spectacular catch during practice on Thursday. While Jackson acknowledged Lane’s towering figure, he wants to see him – and others – excel when the stakes are the highest.
“He’s different,” Jackson said of Lane. “Long arms, strong hands. He’s a physical receiver, but I like to evaluate my players when the pads get on, when we’re playing in games. Anybody can look good in practice. But I feel like he’ll be good in games as well.”
Luckily for Lane and the other young wideouts, they have a strong leader in Zay Flowers, who Jackson recognizes as a standout both on and off the field.
“His work ethic, it makes my job a lot easier,” Jackson said. “He wants the ball in his hands. He wants to make things happen. He wants to put his team in positions to win.”
It remains to be seen how much of Flowers’ influence can propel the young wideouts this fall, especially Lane and Sarratt. Rounds 3 and 4, where Lane and Sarratt were drafted, respectively, have produced some exceptional wideouts in recent years. The most notable ones include Cooper Kupp, Amon-Ra St. Brown, Nico Collins, Chris Godwin and Terry McLaurin.
While Lane and Sarratt don’t have to become top-flight NFL wideouts to be impactful right away, the Ravens might need at least one of them to grow up fast if they want to maximize another season with Jackson under center and a Super Bowl title being a reasonable expectation for Baltimore.
