Ravens' Jesse Minter Noncommittal About Lamar Jackson Return

The Baltimore Ravens pulled off a trade to land Jacoby Brissett from the Arizona Cardinals, which pointed to the idea that the trade was done to keep the team afloat while Lamar Jackson heals from his thumb injury.

During media availability on Monday, Minter was noncommittal regarding whether or not Jackson would return at some point during the regular season.

Jackson missed three games due to suffering a high-ankle sprain, leading to his return finally taking place in Week 8 against the New England Patriots. Unfortunately for Baltimore, the first offensive play led to the quarterback suffering a significant thumb injury.

Reports have indicated that Jackson suffered a dislocated and fractured thumb. However, that has not been corroborated by Minter.

When the Ravens' head coach was asked, he stated that the conversations between him and Jackson would be kept in-house. 

That was then followed up by questions about whether or not the team expects Jackson to return to play. Again, Minter was noncommittal about the situation, saying those conversations are between him and Jackson. 

There is now some uncertainty regarding whether Jackson will have the opportunity to return this season. Reports have indicated that he may miss six to nine weeks, though that has also not been confirmed.

With the uncertainty, the Ravens went out and sent a 2027 fourth-round pick and more to land Brissett. The proven veteran was officially traded for on Friday, and Minter stated that the expectation is that the former Cardinals passer will be under center on Monday.

Baltimore will face the Los Angeles Chargers on Monday night, which is a presumed easier team to face. The Chargers are currently 0-8 and have struggled mightily this season.

That is not to say that the Ravens will run away with the game, as they have had their own struggles. They are also on a four-game losing streak and have not played up to the standard everyone expected them to.

Losing Jackson and Tyler Huntley is clearly the biggest issue, as the team had to rely on rookie Joe Fagnano. Fagnano could simply not get anything going against the Jacksonville Jaguars and showed he is simply not ready to lead the offense.

Brissett is a longtime quarterback who does have the skills to put together some wins, but the entire Ravens team needs to play better, as Minter stated to the media. 

Baltimore will have their shot to right the ship when they face the Chargers in Week 10. Brissett should be under center and give the team far more balance at the quarterback position.

Jackson could theoretically return, but that will not be revealed by the Ravens head coach.