Ravens Coach Praises Lamar Jackson's Growth

"Being with him every day and being around him more closely, his communication – nonverbal and verbal – you really hear him in the back having side conversations that [wasn't] the case a couple years ago and you see more and more of that," Martin said.

Jackson is more engaged with offensive linemen, especially two-time Pro Bowl center Tyler Linderbaum. The two share the responsibility of getting the correct calls and checks to the rest of the offense during plays in both practice and games.

"Those two guys have to be on the same page," Martin said. "If Lamar makes a call, Tyler has to echo it. If Tyler makes the call, he has to communicate it back to Lamar, so there's a lot of two-way communication that goes on between the quarterback and the center."

The Ravens have had an influx of veteran talent come through the team in recent years since Martin has been Jackson's position coach including the likes of fellow multi-time Pro Bowlers such as Odell Beckham Jr., Derrick Henry and most recently, DeAndre Hopkins. Their arrivals from other teams where they often ran totally different schemes have forced Jackson to become more vocal naturally.

"We've had guys that's been in and out that's causing him to talk about what he sees and how he feels [about] things," Martin said. "That's the biggest area I've seen is the verbal and nonverbal communication that he has really grown and taken his game to the next level."

The Ravens also have a lot of young players who the team has added in recent years that he'll need to step up if and when the time comes so getting them prepared and up to speed to the best of his abilities make him a consummate veteran leader.

"I'm going into Year Eight, so I've got no other choice," Jackson said. "There are a lot of young guys coming in now, so I've got to."