The attack came from a familiar critic. On his Fox Sports show “The Herd” on Thursday, Colin Cowherd declared he had sold off most of his Lamar Jackson stock in the offseason and spent several minutes picking apart what he called the Baltimore quarterback’s drift away from the Josh Allen tier.

“Josh is still great, and Lamar is basically a .500 quarterback, and you’re never quite sure when he’s gonna play, and there’s weird communication,” Cowherd said on the show.

Then came the sharper line. Cowherd cited a Baltimore Sun column from Mike Preston last December that claimed Jackson had been nodding off in team meetings after late-night gaming sessions.

“A Baltimore Sun reporter … this is a guy who covers the team is like, ‘He falls asleep in team meetings because he’s playing video games late at night’ … Is he a more talented Kyler Murray? This is the kind of stuff I don’t want to deal with as a franchise quarterback,” Cowherd said.

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‘Hit piece,’ say Jackson’s defenders

The segment did not land cleanly. Fans and analysts pushed back hard, calling the comparison to the Arizona Cardinals’ Kyler Murray lazy and the broadcast a “total hit piece” on a two-time MVP returning from a high ankle sprain. Critics questioned Cowherd’s reliance on an unverified anecdote from a local columnist with a long-running feud with Jackson, and some asked whether the show was simply hunting clicks.

That counter-view has backing inside the Ravens’ building. The Athletic’s Jeff Zrebiec reported this week that coaches describe Jackson as a different player in rehab: more engaged, more communicative, visibly working to be ready for Buffalo.

Minter wants a leader to step up

Ravens head coach Jesse Minter, in his first season after replacing John Harbaugh in January, hinted at the leadership vacuum himself without ever naming Jackson. Asked at his press conference on October 26 about Baltimore’s recent collapses, Minter was candid.

“Who’s the guy that’s going to grab everybody together and get them together on the sideline? I think as a team, we’re working through who that is,” Minter said.

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The context is grim. Baltimore sit 4-3 after dropping back-to-back AFC North games, including a 35-13 battering by Cincinnati last week in which the defense gave up five touchdowns after halftime. Jackson has not played since Week 4 against Tennessee, when he suffered the ankle sprain that has kept him out of three straight games.

Jackson cleared, Bills waiting

Minter has confirmed Jackson will play against the Buffalo Bills, giving the Ravens their first chance in a month to put their offense back on the field with its franchise quarterback. Buffalo are 5-1 and tied for the AFC’s best record, coming off a bye week with Josh Allen rested.

Kickoff at Highmark Stadium is at 1pm local time on Sunday, 1 November, with the game on CBS.

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