The Baltimore Ravens have been trying to find consistency at wide receiver for multiple seasons. They have wanted to invest in the position in the draft with multiple first-round picks, one of which was Minnesota pass catcher Rashod Bateman.
The fourth-round wideout was the 27th overall pick in the 2021 NFL draft but hasn’t lived up to expectations so far. When offensive coordinator Todd Monken was asked about Bateman during OTAs, his response showed that he was expecting huge things.
“Oh, for sure. Last year was interesting in the fact that we had Odell [Beckham Jr.], and at the beginning, ‘Bate’ [Rashod Bateman] has missed offseason [workouts], then he missed some of fall camp. So, ‘Is he going to be healthy? So, put Odell at X.’ And then, [in] the beginning there Bateman gets kind of banged up a little bit, and so does Odell. So, here you are, [it’s the] beginning of the year, but you’re already in the season. We certainly could have done a better job of moving them around, for sure, but as the year went on, Rashod really came on, and I’ve seen tremendous growth. But again, [it’s] growth just because he didn’t have an offseason last year, in my mind; I didn’t see that. But I expect a tremendous year [from] him, and we certainly could have found a way to get him the ball more. But that’s a good thing, because last year, we did have Mark [Andrews], then we had ‘Zay’ [Isaiah] Likely, then we’ve got Zay Flowers, and then you’ve got Odell, and after a while, you’re winning games, so you’re running the ball. So, why does Gus Edwards have all those touchdowns? What about the rushing yards? We were winning games, and that’s part of it. So, when that happens, and you have a lot of skill players, it’s going to come that way. Like, ‘Why didn’t he get more touches? Well, because he touched it. Why didn’t he? Well, Justice [Hill] did.’ So, that’s a good problem to have – it really is. Or Lamar [Jackson] took off and ran; all those things that we’re lucky to have. And we continue to have great skill players.”
Bateman will need to have a big year if the Ravens want to unlock the full potential of their offense. He will be the unquestioned No. 2 wide receiver behind Zay Flowers and will play a massive role in helping Baltimore achieve its goals.