Lamar Jackson runs onto the field.
Lamar Jackson (Photo by Loren Elliott/Getty Images)Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson is almost unrecognizable following a massive offseason body transformation, according to one of his teammates.Lamar Jackson, who’s coming off his second NFL MVP-winning season, was previously listed at 6-foot-2 and 215 pounds. According to Jackson’s teammate, tight end Isaiah Likely, the 27-year-old has trimmed so much weight that he wasn’t recognizable at first glance.Speaking with Kay Adams on FanDuel’s “Up & Adams” show, Likely stated that he didn’t even recognize Jackson when he first met with the two-time league MVP following the latter’s weight loss:“He said he was like 230-235 (pounds)…Now, he’s slimmed. The first time I seen L…I’m walking and looking up and I’m like ‘Who is that…ain’t no way’. And he’s like, ‘Man, I’m good now..I’m back’…I’m just gonna say…y’all thought L was fast before…”

Likely’s story caused Adams to express (humorous) concern. She’s a well-known Cincinnati Bengals fan, and her team has struggled mightily against Jackson since he turned professional in 2018.

Jackson revealed earlier this offseason that he is down to 205 pounds. That’s indeed a scary thought for the rest of the NFL, seeing how he just won his second MVP award while also guiding Baltimore to its first AFC Championship Game appearance in 11 years.

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A string of injuries limited Jackson to 12 games in both the 2021 and 2022 seasons. Fortunately, he stayed healthy last season and set career-highs in completion percentage (67.2) and passing yards (3,678). Jackson had 24 passing touchdowns against only seven interceptions to go along with 821 rushing yards and five touchdowns.

Lamar Jackson & Ravens Are Set Up For A Super Bowl Run

The Ravens’ AFC Championship Game defeat at the hands of the Kansas City Chiefs was tough to stomach, no doubt. But it was also a step in the right direction for a team that entered 2023 with just one postseason victory in the Lamar Jackson era.

Baltimore still has the makings of a top-five offense and defense, so they’ll once again be in the mix for the Lombardi Trophy in 2023. As long as Jackson can avoid the injury bug and continue playing up to his all-world standards, the Ravens should be Kansas City’s main challenger in the AFC.

Dallas Cowboys Finally Reveal Why They Had No Interest In Signing Running Back Derrick Henry

Derrick Henry looks on with his helmet off.
Derrick Henry  (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)Derrick Henry is one of the best running backs in the NFL. He is known for his bruising style of play where he will decide to go through a defender instead of around you one on any given play that his quarterback hands him the ball.One would think that if a team has a player of that caliber on their roster, they would give up an arm and a leg to keep him around. However, the Tennessee Titans chose not to keep King Henry on the roster for the 2024 season.

The five-time 1,000-yard rusher became a free agent for the first time in his career this off-season and was quickly scooped up by the Baltimore Ravens to create a scary backfield tandem with Lamar Jackson and Keaton Mitchell.

Many NFL fans may question the lack of interest from a particular famous NFC team that should have wanted Henry, and it would have made headlines worldwide if he had gone there. The Dallas Cowboys had their reasons for not showing interest in Derrick Henry.

According to an X post by JPAFootball, Dallas Cowboys Executive Vice President Stephen Jones blamed the salary cap situation for their lack of interest in the Pro Bowl running back, who could have been a perfect fit in the Big D.

 

Derrick Henry Had Interest In Going To Dallas But It Was Not Mutual

The long-time Titans star could have been a perfect fit in Dallas, but Jerry Jones and company decided to bring back old friend Ezekiel Elliott on a one-year prove-it deal. The contract only cost Dallas $3 million, compared to Henry’s $16 million contract in Baltimore.

Zeke and Henry had two highly different seasons as the former rushed for 642 yards and three touchdowns in 2023 compared to Henry’s 1,167 yards for a total of 12 touchdowns in the 2023 season.

Dallas will head into the 2024 season with an expected running-back tandem of Elliott and Rico Dowdle. Still, we have to imagine what would have been like if the Dallas Cowboys hadn’t been in Salary Cap purgatory and had been able to bring in Derrick Henry.