The NY Jets should stay far away from Greg Roman in their OC search

The NY Jets are still in search of their next offensive coordinator following the departure of Mike LaFleur this month. A new potential candidate emerged on Thursday in the form of now-former Baltimore Ravens offensive coordinator Greg Roman.

Roman and the Ravens mutually agreed to part ways (sound familiar?) on Thursday, ending a six-year run with the organization and a four-year stint as the team's offensive coordinator.

With Lamar Jackson rumors still floating around, many were quick to make the connection between the star quarterback and his longtime offensive coordinator. Some even suggested the Jets could look to acquire the duo as a package deal.

However, Roman's inability to evolve in Baltimore is what got him fired in the first place. Roman wasn't very well-liked by the end of his tenure, and it's hard to imagine Jackson would want to continue playing under his former OC.

If anything, hiring Roman might deter Jackson from coming to New York. Not only would hiring Roman be an ineffective way to try and lure Jackson, but it would be a bad hire all around.

Why the NY Jets should not consider Greg Roman for their vacant OC job

Roman deserves a ton of praise for the work he did with Jackson early in the former MVP's NFL career. Jackson was a limited passer coming out of college. Roman built a scheme that simultaneously emphasized Jackson's strengths while maskings his weaknesses.

The result was one of the best offenses in football in 2019 and an MVP award for Jackson. The Ravens' dominant rushing attack was feared by defenses, and Roman was the mastermind behind it.

For those who advocate for the Jets to hire Roman, that season is probably a large reason why. But there's a reason the Ravens are moving on from Roman. And if you ask essentially any Ravens fan — or likely many players in the locker room — it's long overdue.

Jackson has developed quite a bit since that 2019 season. His poise, anticipation, touch, timing, and numerous other aspects of his game that he struggled with are much improved. Jackson is a far better passer than most give him credit for now.

He's not perfect. Jackson still struggles with deep accuracy and has a tendency to lock onto receivers — or, at least one receiver, Mark Andrews. Still, Roman's scheme never accounted for Jackson's development.

Roman's offensive system is virtually identical to the one that he ran in 2019. The big issue is that his quarterback is vastly different now.

Roman consistently runs condensed formations. He has never been able to utilize his running backs in the passing game (Gus Edwards caught his first pass of the season in last weekend's Wild Card game). He also struggles to maximize the talent he has at wide receiver.

Now, the Ravens deserve plenty of blame for their own mishandling of the wide receiver position, but there's a reason good wide receivers have never wanted to play for Roman. His scheme is not designed to maximize their skill sets.

The same system that helped develop Jackson and lead him to his first MVP trophy is the very system that has handcuffed him over the last two seasons. Perhaps more would see Jackson's improvements as a passer if he was allowed to let loose every once in a while.

Instead, Roman runs compact formations that fail to spread out opposing defenses. Jackson has been the entire Ravens' offense over the last two years, mostly because he's had no other choice.

Roman's deficiencies as a play-caller and game-planner forced Jackson to take on the role of Superman on numerous occasions. We've seen just how bad that Ravens' offense is when Jackson isn't playing.

The Greg Roman that exists in 2023 isn't the same Greg Roman that was the subject of head coach rumors some four years ago. His failure to evolve and adapt — combined with well-documented player frustration — is what led to his departure.

And they're the same reasons why the Jets should steer clear of the longtime NFL assistant.