Ravens QB downplays quarterback rankings
NFL notebook
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OWINGS MILLS, Md. -- As much as Lamar Jackson might try to stay away from divisive social media topics, at least one broke through this offseason.
"The 69 thing," Jackson said. "The ratings, whatever it is. I've seen that. People were tagging me."
It certainly caused a stir when Jackson was ranked No. 69 in the NFL Top 100 list. The two-time MVP had a down season last year, missing four games and looking shaky when he did play. He's bounced back from injuries in the past, but that ranking -- which is voted on by players -- suggests real skepticism about Jackson's ability to regain the elite status he held just one year ago.
"It is what it is," Jackson said. "I play football. I do not care about rankings."
If there's a case against a rebound for Jackson it's that his incredible elusiveness wasn't really there last season. He rushed for a career-low 349 yards and was sacked 36 times -- up from 23 in 2024. It's unclear how much of that was because he wasn't fully healthy -- but at this point it's on Jackson to show he can consistently play at full strength.
Still, he won't be 30 until January and is only a season removed from a spectacular 2024 in which he threw for 41 touchdowns and only four interceptions. An Associated Press survey this month had Jackson in the top four among quarterbacks.
"I feel like he might have gotten faster somehow," safety Kyle Hamilton said after Wednesday's practice. "I don't want to age him, but he is turning a certain age next year, and it doesn't seem like that. We'll keep that age between us, what age he is going to be?"
There were also some doubts about Jackson after he was injured at the end of the 2021 and 2022 seasons, but he won MVP honors in 2023 and came close to a repeat in 2024. When he's been healthy, he's been extremely difficult to stop.
Elsewhere in the NFL:
– San Francisco 49ers receiver Ricky Pearsall has been sidelined by a knee injury and there is no timeline for his return. The 49ers said that Pearsall is dealing with swelling in the right knee that is related to the posterior cruciate ligament injury that forced him to miss eight games in the 2025 regular season. The team is concerned that the knee is still an issue after Pearsall participated in just two practices in training camp and is evaluating all options.
– The Atlanta Falcons' quarterback competition will have to wait another day after coach Kevin Stefanski said Wednesday that Tua Tagovailoa sustained a minor injury, and he'll be back "sooner rather than later." Stefanski described the injury as a "flare-up" and said he doesn't anticipate a long absence from the former Dolphins quarterback. He said Tagovailoa will be present at training camp but not yet participating. The first-year Falcons coach kept the details of Tagovailoa's injury secret, saying one of the perks of training camp is not having to divulge every detail. ESPN, citing unnamed sources, reported Wednesday that Tagovailoa is dealing with a tight back.
– Cincinnati Bengals defensive end Shemar Stewart was carted off the field during the team's first practice of training on Wednesday with an apparent left leg injury. The Bengals haven't released any details on Stewart's injury, but he was seen with crutches and a brace on the leg after practice. Stewart, the Bengals' first-round draft pick in 2025, played in only eight games in his rookie season because of injuries.
– Carolina Panthers rookie wide receiver Chris Brazzell III could miss up to eight weeks with a moderate tear of the lateral collateral ligament in his left knee. The third-round draft pick out of Tennessee will receive a second medical opinion on the knee following the initial MRI, the person said. Brazzell was carted off the practice field after 7-on-7 drills on Wednesday. He had missed two practices earlier in the week with soreness in the same knee, but had been medically cleared to return to action.