Lamar Jackson doesn’t think he’ll run as much this year

[Poe the Raven]

Ravens coach John Harbaugh suggested this week that quarterback Lamar Jackson was going to continue to run, perhaps more than last year.

Jackson himself doesn’t seem sure about that.

Via Jamison Hensley of ESPN.com, Jackson said during an interview on The Rich Eisen Show that he thinks he will carry it less this season.

Asked if he could sustain the physical toll of the 147 rushing attempts he put up last year (a single-season NFL record), Jackson said it was possible, if not likely.

“Absolutely. I’ve put on weight,” Jackson said. “But I don’t think I’ll be running as much as I did last year. There were a lot of [run-pass options] and a lot of sudden changes in last year’s game. This will be totally different.”

Earlier this week, Harbaugh said of Jackson, in reference to Cam Newton‘s career-high 139 rushing attempts in a single season: “I’d bet the over on that one. I’d bet the over for sure on that one.”

Technically, anywhere between 140 and 146 would satisfy both requirements, but it’s hard to imagine Harbaugh has made such a precise estimate. Jackson averaged 17 carries per game in his seven starts last year, and extrapolating that over 16 games would be more than most running backs.

And perhaps an amount Jackson isn’t necessarily interested in.