Odell Beckham Jr.: Lamar Jackson, Ravens Offense Wants to Be 'Explosive' Under Monken

Odell Beckham Jr. believes the Baltimore Ravens want to open things up on offense this season.

Speaking to reporters after Wednesday's practice, the veteran wide receiver said offensive coordinator Todd Monken "definitely" wants to throw the football with Lamar Jackson at quarterback.

"So, I think, just finding ways to get the playmakers the ball in their hands and be an explosive offense—that's what stands out the most," he added. "As things progress—and obviously, we play in September, [so] we still have some time here to work out the kinks and get each and every play and concept down—I think that this will be a very explosive offense. It's an explosive team, as well. But specifically with the offense, I think that's the goal, is to be explosive."

The early returns for the offense under Monken in training camp weren't great, but this is still a learning process for everyone with a new scheme being put in place.

Following their playoff loss to the Cincinnati Bengals, the Ravens seemed to enter the offseason wanting to be more versatile on offense.

Greg Roman, who had been on John Harbaugh's staff since 2017 and spent the previous four seasons as offensive coordinator, resigned on Jan. 19.

Baltimore's offense declined for most of Roman's tenure. The unit ranked first in DVOA during the 2019 season when Jackson was named NFL MVP, but it finished outside the top 10 in each of the next three years.

Some of the recent decline can be attributed to injuries that kept Jackson out for the final five games in each of the past two seasons. There were also issues with how the front office was building the receiving corps.

Marquise Brown is the only Ravens wideout who has surpassed the 1,000-yard mark since Jackson has been in the NFL. He was traded to the Arizona Cardinals last offseason.

Baltimore has clearly recognized receiver as a position of deficiency on its roster. Two of its last three first-round picks have been used on wide receivers (Rashod Bateman in 2021, Zay Flowers in 2023).

Beckham signed a lucrative one-year deal as a free agent to join the Ravens. He's getting $15 million guaranteed with an additional $3 million available in incentives. The 30-year-old hasn't played since tearing his ACL in the first half of Super Bowl 56 when he was with the Los Angeles Rams.

Monken was hired by the Ravens on Feb. 14 after spending the previous three seasons as Georgia's offensive coordinator. The 57-year-old has past NFL experience, including four years as an offensive coordinator with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2016 to '18) and Cleveland Browns (2019).

Jackson has never attempted more than 401 passes in a season during his NFL career. The 2021 season saw him average a career-high 31.8 attempts per game in 12 starts.

While Jackson's rushing ability will always be a factor for the offense, it wouldn't be a surprise to see him throwing more often in 2023 with Monken's system, a new group of wide receivers and to help preserve his health over the course of an entire season.