Lamar Jackson must develop trust in more of Ravens weapons

The Baltimore Ravens have more weapons in the passing game than just Mark Andrews and Marquise Brown. Lamar Jackson needs to realize this fully this season:

The Baltimore Ravens are steam rolling into the best years of the Lamar Jackson era. What is so incredibly important right now is that Jackson develops chemistry with his full assortment of targets. It can’t just be the Mark Andrews and Marquise Brown show. If Jackson has one weakness, it’s that he likes throwing the ball to his stars a little too much.

Trust is a big deal for Jackson. It makes sense. When you can create and make something out of nothing just as well as you can stay on schedule and throw the football from the pocket, you need your receivers to be on the same page. It’s clear that Jackson trusts Andrews and Brown, but he hasn’t developed the same kind of chemistry with any other target.

Jackson isn’t afraid to throw it to Willie Snead or Nick Boyle. They have etched out a semi-productive job for themselves in this offense. If Jackson has his druthers though, he wants to throw the ball to his go to guys. Having that kind of chemistry with two targets is a good thing. I would even argue that Jackson and Andrews have a connection most duos never form. Andrews may be a tight end but at this rate Jackson to Andrews could end up sounding a lot like Montana to Rice or Manning to Harrison. If the Ravens keep this duo together, the Ravens are getting two elite players of their portion of NFL history.

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The appeal of that chemistry is undeniable but it can’t be what prevents Jackson from taking the next step. Jackson is entering his third season in the NFL and is already an NFL MVP. As good as it is, there is a next step, a next evolution that’s going to make Jackson even better. Andrews and Brown are important but they can’t become security blankets. Jackson also can’t turn down an open Devin Duvernay just because he thinks Andrews can make an amazing play in tight coverage.

Jackson isn’t a Captain Check Down, but he’s also not a gunslinger with reckless abandon. He’s got to believe in each throw or he’ll make something happen with his legs. Jackson is a calculated thrower and in his mind the value of Andrews and Brown is a weighted value. What if he valued more of his targets a little more like he values his Pro Bowl tight end? That mindset change could lead to more opportunities down the field. That shift in thinking could result in him making throws he may have kept in his pocket in 2019.

The Bottom Line:

The Ravens need to keep getting the ball to their best players, yet the offense needs to grow as a whole around Jackson. Jackson has to be willing to get in sync with Devin Duvernay, James Proche and Miles Boykin. As Jackson gets more comfortable dissecting NFL defenses he needs to get more comfortable spreading the ball around.

Jackson puts on a show every time he goes out on the field and there isn’t a player on the Ravens’ roster that doesn’t trust him on every single play. Jackson, who is already a model teammate, has to trust all his targets. He can favor his two go to guys, but he has to be able to use every weapon in his arsenal, without even a bit of hesitation.