Division rival wonders if Ravens offense will have new 'wrinkles'

QB Lamar Jackson is still at the helm of the Baltimore Ravens offense, but the unit is going to look a lot different from a personnel and schematic perspective. 

The Ravens have added All-Pro wideout Odell Beckham Jr. and first-round WR Zay Flowers to the mix as well as a new offensive coordinator in Todd Monken.

The new pieces have many wondering what the Ravens offense will look like this fall. Will they throw more, or will they remain the same rushing juggernaut they've been during the Jackson era? Those answers are yet to be revealed. Now Baltimore's main rival has a star player pondering these questions in Pittsburgh Steelers defensive tackle Cam Heyward.

"They had a recipe for success and they were doing it without Lamar for half the year,” Heyward said, per the "3 and Out" podcast. “It’s going to be different for them, but I’m wondering if there’s going to have to be a mixture of both. Whether it’s staying on the same page as you had last year, or adding some things, adding some wrinkles, because that running game is second to none.”

What makes Heyward's train of thought more interesting is something Jackson said in May. Jackson wants to break the single-season passing yards record, which Peyton Manning set in 2013 with 5,477.

"I wanna throw for like 6,000 yards with the weapons we have,” Jackson said. “And I’m not an individual award-type guy or a stat watcher, I just want to do that because no one’s ever done it and I feel like we have the weapons to do it.”

Earlier this month, Beckham said that Jackson "wants to throw the ball," so if he and Jackson's words ring true and new OC Monken rolls with this type of mindset, the Ravens offense could remain dangerous running the ball while becoming multi-dimensional throwing the ball. The best of both worlds may be in store for the Ravens. 

Jackson said in May that he's loving the new scheme and that Monken has given the players the keys to the offense. 

"Being able to throw the ball down the field. Running can only take you so far," Jackson explained. "I feel like with this new era of teams and offenses in the league, I feel like we need that, and coach Todd Monken, what I'm seeing in this offense so far, it's tremendous."

Another positive to throwing more will be Jackson suffering less punishment running the ball. While Jackson is one of the most electric playmakers rushing, he's a QB too, and the hits he often takes are unsustainable for a QB throughout a 17-game schedule. Jackson's missed 10 regular-season games the past two seasons, greatly altering the trajectory of each season. 

This is the first time in years that things seem fresh in Baltimore. The offense was incredibly creative via the run during former offensive coordinator Greg Roman's time there, but many play calls and situations wound up being head-scratching and stale. Monken brings in a different approach and a winning vibe. After winning back-to-back national championships at Georgia the past two seasons, Monken has the respect of the Ravens locker room. There appears to be trust brewing for the Ravens offense, and the AFC should be on notice.