Ray Lewis on Lamar Jackson: Ravens Need to 'Put Pieces Around Him' to Win Super Bowl
Hall-of-Fame Ravens linebacker Ray Lewis is confident Lamar Jackson can lead the Ravens to the Super Bowl.
However, Baltimore needs to do a better job surrounding Jackson with more talent, especially at wide receiver.
"You have to surround him with the things that he needs," Lewis told ESPN's First Take. "Anytime you get into playoffs, you’re dealing with a Patrick Mahomes and all of those guys who are throwing the ball to legit wide receivers, right. We have to add to Hollywood Brown. We have to add to the tight end. We have to put a guy at the 'X' position [split end], at the 'Z' position [flanker]."
Jackson, who was selected by the Ravens with the 32nd overall pick in the 2018 draft, has gone 30-7 as the starter in the regular season. He has thrown for 7,085 yards with 68 touchdowns and 18 interceptions over his young career. Jackson is also the only quarterback in NFL history to run for over 1,000 yards in two seasons and has 2,906 yards rushing and 19 scores overall.
Jackson also won the first playoff game of his career this past season over the Tennessee Titans.
The Ravens are looking to reach a new deal with Jackson before he's eligible for free agency.
Jackson is simply looking to win a championship.
In a perfect world, the team accomplishes both of those goals.
"When you think about how do you help Lamar, you have to put pieces around Lamar to help Lamar. I get it, we're the No. 1 rush team in football the last two years," Lewis said. "That's great to be able to do that. To go to the next level, you're going to have to have a big 'X' or 'Z' on the outside that takes the pressure off Lamar. Can he do it? Absolutely, but you're going to have to surround him with the right pieces."
