Lamar Jackson issues stern message to Ravens wide receivers

Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson is coming off of his second MVP award, but he is still missing something very important: a Super Bowl ring.

As a matter of fact, Jackson has yet to even reach the Super Bowl.

Jackson knows that in order to achieve that feat, he is going to need to develop a stronger camaraderie with his wide receivers, which means some crucial offseason work is needed.

With Ravens mandatory minicamp ending on Thursday, there will be around a month-and-a-half of dead time until training camp. But Jackson wants to make the most of that off period, and he expects his pass-catchers to follow suit by joining him in South Florida for a personal workout.

“They’re going to have to come to South Florida,” Jackson said, via Jeff Zrebiec of The Athletic. “They’re going to have to do it. We have to. We’re trying to get to the Super Bowl, and for us to do that, we have to grind. We have to build chemistry.”

The Ravens’ Offense Could Stand to Improve

The Ravens boasted the best record in the NFL at 13-4 last season and made it all the way to the AFC Championship Game, where they lost to the Kansas City Chiefs by a score of 17-10.

Baltimore’s offense labored in the defeat, as it became increasingly obvious that Jackson did exactly have elite weapons at his disposal.

The Ravens didn’t really do much to address the issue this offseason, failing to sign a free-agent wide receiver and not selecting one in the NFL Draft until the fourth round.

For that reason, Jackson’s connection with his current group of receivers—which includes Zay Flowers and not much else behind him—becomes all the more imperative.

Baltimore did sign running back Derrick Henry, but Henry doesn’t really rectify the club’s biggest problem, which is its rather questionable aerial attack.

The Ravens ranked just 21st in the league in passing offense this past season, and while some of that is due to their heavy reliance on the ground game, it also demonstrates that they lack top-tier receiving talent.

Flowers could ultimately have a breakout year in 2024 after an impressive rookie campaign, but Baltimore will also be depending on receivers like Rashod Bateman—a former first-round pick who has been a massive disappointment—and Nelson Agholor—an aging veteran—to get the passing game over the hump.

We’ll see if Lamar Jackson can bring the best out of his guys come September.