Photo: Cooper Neill/Getty
TheBaltimore Ravensare pumped for next season.
At the 148th Preakness Stakes on Saturday, coach John Harbaugh and several of the players shared their incredibly positive outlook for the upcoming season, particularly after quarterbackLamar Jacksonre-signed at the last minute andOdell Beckham Jr.joined the team on a one-year deal.
“Very excited,” Harbaugh tells PEOPLE about the 2023-2024 season on the red carpet of the 148th Preakness Stakes on Saturday. “Good to get Lamar back. That’s kind of nice. That’s going to help us.”
“We gave him a lot of weapons,” he adds. “We already had a good offensive line. Defense is going to be great. We should be great.”
The Ravens coach also talked about Beckham Jr. joining the squad. “Odell’s just a kind of a guy that’s just kind of a lightning rod,” he says. “He’s going to excite everything, spark everything.”
Harbaugh also name checked Nelson Agholor, the new wide receiver the team signed in March that previously played with the New England Patriots. “Very excited about Nelson coming in. He’s a real leader. People forget he was a first round pick. He’s the top player in the draft. He’s talented,” he says.
And Harbaugh wasn’t the only Raven excited about the new and improved roster.
“I don’t think I could be more fired up for what our team is in the process of building right now,” Ravens place kicker Justin Tucker also tells PEOPLE at Preakness. “I think everybody would agree, getting Lamar’s deal done, and getting Odell signed and Nelson Agholor… I think our team is really shaping up to be… a force to be reckoned with.”
Justin Tucker.Nic Antaya/Getty
Nic Antaya/Getty
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Linebacker Tyus Bowser tells PEOPLE it’s “great to be able to have [Jackson] back” as well as the addition of Beckham. “I think it’s going to be a really good year for us. With us bringing in some fire power, and of course, with our draft, we brought in a lot of good guys so I’m looking forward to the season.” Tyler Linderbaum, the team’s center, agrees. “It’s exciting to add pieces like that.”
“As of March 2nd I requested a trade from the Ravens organization for which the Ravens has not been interested in meeting my value. [Any] and everyone [that] has met me or been around me know I love the game of football and my dream is to help a team win the Super Bowl,” he wrote on Twitter.
“You all are great but I had to make a business decision that was best for my family and I. No matter how far I go or where my career takes me, I’ll continue to be close to my fans of Baltimore Flock nation and the entire State of Maryland. You’ll See me again,” he added.
source: people.com
