The Baltimore Ravens appear to have cemented their place in NFL history before the regular season begins.
Sports Illustrated’s FanNation reported that the two-time Super Bowl champions, who are gearing up to face the Houston Texans in Week 1 of the new season, are believed to be the first NFL club to include an all-Black quarterback group, including coaches and players.
Tee Martin, who coached the wide receivers for the Ravens for the previous two seasons, is the quarterback coach, and Kerry Dixon is the assistant. The players consist of Lamar Jackson, Josh Johnson and Tyler Huntley.
Lamar Jackson of the Baltimore Ravens (above) is among the players who make up the team’s all-Black quarterback group. (Photo by Julio Aguilar/Getty Images)
“We definitely are standing on the shoulders of people in the past,” Martin said, according to FanNation. “I do think it’s a step forward for people like us, but we’ve got to do a good job.”
With Jackson at the helm, the Ravens are reportedly in a solid position to be among the league’s top teams in 2023. The success of the offense, led by new offensive coordinator Todd Monken, may flow down to the coaching staff for the quarterbacks.
They might make even more NFL history through Martin, who could find himself in the running for head coach in 2024.
Jason Reid, author of “Rise of the Black Quarterback: What It Means for America,” emphasized that what the Ravens are doing right now is unusual for the league.
“So what the Ravens have right now is definitely groundbreaking, even in 2023,” Reid wrote, FanNation reported. “The significance of it is that we are now in the era of the Black quarterback in the NFL.”
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