I was wrong about Lamar Jackson's ankle, and I'd still hold him

I told you this morning that Lamar Jackson's ankle looked like something Baltimore was trying to get through a Bengals game. By midafternoon the Ravens had downgraded him to out. So let's get that on the record before anybody else does: I read the practice week wrong.

Here's the part I'd still put my name on. You shouldn't sell him, and if you hold him in a contract league, your plan for him shouldn't change because of a Saturday afternoon post.

The Ravens announced the downgrade themselves, and Ian Rapoport had it minutes later. Jamison Hensley of ESPN says Tyler Huntley starts again, his third straight game. That's Atlanta in Week 5, Cleveland in Week 6 and now the Bengals, all on the same ankle. He was limited in all three practices this week and went into Saturday questionable. I took three limited days as a sign the staff wanted him out there. Turns out three limited days can also be a staff finding out he isn't ready.

You'll say three straight zeros is a pattern, and the woman who told you to hold just got burned. Fair. It is a pattern for your lineup. If he sits a fourth week, you'll want a starting quarterback you can count on, and Huntley is a week-to-week rental who loses all his value the minute Jackson is cleared. What I don't have, and what nobody has reported, is injured reserve, surgery or a timeline that runs past next week. Without one of those, you're being asked to price a franchise quarterback off three Sundays in October.

The question that actually decides this is the contract, and only you know it. If Jackson is on a one-year deal and you're in a tight race right now, three missed weeks have already cost you something you won't get back, and listening to a strong offer is a reasonable thing to do. Notice I said strong. If he's signed for years, the lost Sundays are a rounding error on the deal, and the manager offering you 60 cents on the dollar is counting on you being as embarrassed as I am right now.

I've sat in plenty of rooms where somebody was wrong about the Friday report and tried to make up for it by doing something big on Saturday. That's how a bad read turns into a bad trade. Being wrong about the ankle cost you nothing if you had a backup in the lineup, which is what I told you to do. Selling the player to feel decisive would cost you a lot more.

So I'll eat this one. Wednesday's practice report will tell us more than any of us knew today, me included, and I'd much rather be wrong for one more week than sell Lamar Jackson for less than he's worth.

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