Lamar Jackson is about to turn 30 years old, and his own teammate says he might be faster than ever. That is the kind of quote that ruins defensive coordinator sleep schedules across the AFC.
Ravens safety Kyle Hamilton dropped the observation at training camp this week. Hamilton has practiced against Jackson for years now. He knows what full-speed Lamar looks like. And he is telling anyone who will listen that the quarterback has found another gear.
“He might have gotten faster somehow,” Hamilton said, per Clifton Brown of the Ravens’ official website. “I don’t want to age him, but he’s turning a certain age next year. It doesn’t seem like that.”
That is a big deal coming from an All-Pro safety. Hamilton has to actually run with these guys every day. He would know if Lamar was slowing down. Instead, he thinks the two-time MVP has somehow added another step.
The context is important. Jackson had a down 2025 season by his standards. He threw for 2,549 yards with 21 touchdowns and 7 interceptions. He completed only 63.6 percent of his passes. He rushed for a career-low 349 yards and 2 touchdowns on 67 carries. Injuries limited what he could do, and the offense struggled to find rhythm without him fully healthy.
That is what makes the training camp reports so interesting. Lamar looks like the version of himself that carried Baltimore to MVP awards in 2019 and 2023. Healthy legs. Cleaner mechanics as a passer. And apparently, if Hamilton is right, more speed.
For opposing defenses, the calculation on Lamar has always been impossible. If you play zone and try to keep everything in front, he picks apart the middle of the field with intermediate throws. If you play man and try to pressure him, he escapes the pocket and turns broken plays into 40-yard runs. There is no clean way to defend a fully operational Jackson.
Coaches spent last season getting slight relief from that pressure. Jackson was less mobile due to injuries. He could not always beat pressure with his legs. Defenses could commit more resources to the pass rush and force the ball out of his hands quickly.
If he is truly faster in 2026, that relief valve is gone. Defenses have to account for him as a runner on every play again. That opens up everything else the Ravens want to do offensively.
Derrick Henry is still there, running behind a strong offensive line. Zay Flowers is a legitimate deep threat. Mark Andrews is back healthy. The pieces around Jackson are as good as they have ever been. Add a healthy Lamar with fresh legs and this offense could be scary.
The Ravens went 12-5 last year and reached the AFC Divisional Round. They lost to the Chiefs, again. The pattern of near misses in the playoffs has defined this Jackson era in Baltimore. He has one AFC Championship game appearance in his career, and that ended badly.
Fresh legs and improved passing efficiency might finally be the combination that gets Baltimore over the hump. Jackson knows the window is not infinite. He said at camp that he believes his best football is still ahead of him.
Hamilton’s comments back that up from a teammate’s perspective. If the guy who has to guard Lamar every day thinks the quarterback has an extra gear, that is not just training camp talk. That is a real problem for the Bengals, Steelers, and everyone else in the AFC North.
Baltimore opens the season on September 6. The rest of the league is about to find out if Hamilton was right.
A longtime sports reporter, Carlos Garcia has written about some of the biggest and most notable athletic events of the last 5 years. He has been credentialed to cover MLS, NBA and MLB games all over the United States. His work has been published on Fox Sports, Bleacher Report, AOL and the Washington Post.
