It appears that Baltimore Ravens WR Rashod Bateman has high expectations for the upcoming season not only from fans, coaches and analysts but also it appears from his fellow teammates. Bateman has been impressing in offseason training and safety Ar’Darius Washington expects big things from the receiver.
The veteran safety spoke to reporters following practice on Monday, August 5, about the receiver and said, “Bateman’s going to be explosive this year. He’s going to make a lot of plays for us this year.”
Bateman comes into camp currently slotted as the no. 2 WR behind Zay Flowers, who had a fantastic rookie season. He will need to fill the shoes of the explosive WR Odell Beckham Jr., who left for the Miami Dolphins this offseason.
It looks like Bateman has gotten the memo about expectations around the league as he has showed up to start camp. Washington said, “He’s done really well, especially we seen that catch in the endzone. You know he’s making the toughest catches, giving us a lot of good releases off the line and everything.”
Bateman will be a key member of a receiving corps that will need to improve if they hope to challenge the Kansas City Chiefs for the AFC title and ultimately the Super Bowl.
WR Rashod Bateman’s Success May Come Down to Health
Bateman is only 24 years old but has had what can be considered an unlucky start to his short career. Entering only his fourth year in the NFL, Bateman has missed a total of 17 games (a complete season’s worth) due to injury.
When Bateman was drafted in the first-round of the 2021 draft, there was an expectation that he and Marquise Brown would form a dynamic tandem for QB Lamar Jackson, along with the star TE Mark Andrews.
Unfortunately, Bateman got off to a rocky start and missed his first few games before coming on strong to end his rookie season.
Pro Football Focus graded him at 64.9 as a rookie and big things were expected in his season. Bateman in the end was only able to play 6 games during his sophomore year and unable to take his game to the next level.
In a league where first round WRs often come in firing and performing at a high level, Bateman has left fans wanting more. While he was able to stay healthy during the 2023 season, his production was limited to 32 catches for 367 receiving yards.
Lamar Jackson was DEVASTATED that he couldn’t get the ball to Rashod Bateman for a TD on the play that instead was a Charles Omenihu strip-sack
“That was six. DAMN THAT WAS SIX! That was a touchdown. That damn strip sack, should have been 14-14 right now”
Looking at tape though it does appear Bateman was better than his numbers appeared and could be in for a big year in 2024.
The best example occurred during the playoffs when Bateman broke free on what at the least would have big a play but could have been a touchdown. Jackson was loading up when he was stripped of the ball.
There was a lot of just misses in the 2023 season between Jackson and Bateman, which could be explained by a lack of reps together due to injuries from both players. If Bateman can continue to stay on the field, he could finally fulfill his draft status.
Rashod Bateman Leaves Practice With Injury Again
Bateman has the deck stacked against him as he left practice again on Monday, August 5 with an apparent rib injury.
The Athletics’ Jeff Zrebiec posted, “Bateman, who was having a nice practice, stayed down for a while. Got up and appeared to be holding ribs/midsection.”
Coach John Harbaugh had no update on Bateman and fans will need to wait until Tuesday for further updates. The receiver missed practice earlier in training camp with a minor injury, so hopefully for Bateman this is another case of getting shaken up.
It is unclear if he will be playing in the first preseason game on Friday, August 9 against the Philadelphia Eagles, but if there is a question about health the Ravens will play it safe to have him ready for the start of the season.
