Until he makes a strong run in the playoffs throwing the football, people will continue to question Lamar Jackson’s ability to take the Ravens to and win a Super Bowl.
So much attention has been placed on giving Lamar the right weapons on the outside in order to boost the passing game. The Ravens have tried to do that in their pursuit of Juju Smith-Schuster, Sammy Watkins and most recently T.Y. Hilton. Those efforts were like a Chris Davis afternoon at Camden Yards. 0-fer!
At this point, the Ravens will need to lean on the draft or possibly a trade to provide such an upgrade at the wide receiver position. And for many who yearn for an accomplished pass catcher who can win contested catches and control the boundaries, that might not happen in 2021.
Count Ray Lewis among those who believe the Ravens can win the big game if Lamar gets a better option at the X or Y receiver spot.
Can Lamar win a Super Bowl for the #Ravens ? Ray Lewis chimes in on @FirstTake pic.twitter.com/1yMqsTB4YE
— Tony Lombardi (@RSRLombardi) March 26, 2021
But the ship on such an established receiver may have sailed. And if that’s true, for my money, the next best thing is to continue to beef up the offensive line either with a left guard, should Bradley Bozeman move to center as expected, and by providing another pass catching tight end. If the Ravens can consistently give Lamar ample time to set and throw, it allows him more time to read through his progressions and an opportunity for receivers to win their battles and gain separation more regularly.
It doesn’t hurt that the Ravens have brought in some fresh ideas to the passing game in the forms of wide receivers coach Tee Martin and passing game specialist Keith Williams. If they can develop route concepts that dial into the skills sets of the receivers on the team, coupled with better pass protection, AND another threat from the TE position, that will allow the team to make the needed strides.
They don’t have to be a top 10 passing attack. They just need to move towards the middle of the pack and to be able to win games throwing the football. They can’t be the 32nd-ranked pass offense and expect to win in January.
On the bright side, for Greg Roman’s passing offense, there’s only one way to go but up.
