Ravens Plan to ‘Showcase’ ‘Invaluable’ Weapon

Mark Andrews and Rashod Bateman

Getty The Ravens are ready to "showcase" an "invaluable" weapon on offense.

Greg Roman knows he needs to open up the passing game for the Baltimore Ravens. The offensive coordinator’s run-happy tendencies have become a negative for some, along with poor route spacing and a lack of throws to the outside and deep shots.

It’s something Roman is trying to fix, although without many proven options. The Ravens neglected to dip into the free-agency pool for an established wide receiver, despite plenty of big names on offer, such as Odell Beckham Jr., T.Y. Hilton and Emmanuel Sanders.

Instead, general manager Eric DeCosta doubled down on tight ends in the draft, selecting Charlie Kolar and burgeoning “nightmare” Isaiah Likely in the fourth round. DeCosta also traded Marquise ‘Hollywood’ Brown to the Arizona Cardinals, leaving Roman to work with a host of unproven wideouts, including Devin Duvernay and James Proche II.

One of those unheralded  targets has already been described as “invaluable” by his play-caller, who has revealed plans to “showcase” this gifted weapon more often in 2022.


Roman Has Plans for Key WR

Rashod Bateman is under pressure to emerge as the legitimate No. 1 receiver the Ravens need. He has the pedigree, but the player drafted 27th overall in 2021 endured a difficult rookie campaign.

Bateman appeared in 12 games, starting just four, thanks to a lingering groin injury. All he had to show for his limited playing time was 46 catches for 515 touchdowns and a single touchdown:

The numbers weren’t good, but Roman has still talked Bateman up, per Steven Ruiz of The Ringer: “Guys like that are real gems. As (Bateman) develops, it’s going to become a real situation where any time he’s in a one-on-one situation with no help, we can go to him. … It’s invaluable.”

That’s lofty praise for a player who still has a lot to prove. Bateman’s chances of making the grade will be helped if he’s put in better situations.

The process has to start with playing Bateman in a role suited to his strengths. It’s something Roman didn’t do last season, according to Ruiz: “And when Bateman was out there, he wasn’t exactly given a dynamic role. After playing on the perimeter and in the slot at Minnesota, the Ravens basically parked him on the left side of the field.”

Fortunately, Roman sounds as though he’s ready to make smarter use of Bateman this season: “Roman says the Ravens have put new stuff into their scheme in order to ‘showcase’ Bateman in 2022. Based on my observations at camp, that will likely include more isolation routes on the backside of trips formations and more forays into the slot. And don’t be surprised if he gets a few handoffs on jet sweeps after getting no carries in 2021.”

Ruiz’s note about the type of plays and concepts the Ravens were working on during training camp is a huge positive for Bateman. He knows how to thrive between the numbers and is strong enough to win against physical coverage, both on the perimeter and over the middle.


Ravens Players Already Among Bateman’s Believers

Bateman has already made believers out of many of his teammates, including cornerback Marlon Humphrey. The latter often went up against Bateman at camp, and Ruiz described how the receiver won “deep twice in the session I watched.”

For his part, Humphrey hasn’t been shy about talking up Bateman’s potential, per Jonas Shaffer of The Baltimore Sun:

Humphrey isn’t alone in thinking Bateman is primed for a banner year. Bateman was also picked as a breakout candidate by ESPN’s Bill Barnwell, Bleacher Report’s Brent Sobleski and James Dator of SB Nation.

Even the man most invested in Bateman’s success, quarterback Lamar Jackson, is a believer. Jackson, who needs a go-to target on the outside to help him play his way into the new deal the Ravens have yet to stump up, praised Bateman in August, per Robert Sobus of Ravens Wire: “When we were back out here, we had a little vet day, a mini-vet day, but other than that, he’s been looking pretty sharp. He’s been looking good – looking like a receiver 1, for sure.”

Bateman has his share of fans, but kind words alone won’t help him make the step up from raw potential to established talent. For that he’ll need a scheme able to force defenses to cover the deep portions of the field more often.

Not many teams were worried about the Ravens attacking vertically last season, according to Ruiz, who cited Next Gen Stats to help underline the point: “The Ravens faced the second-shallowest safety alignment in the league last season after finishing with the lowest in 2019 and 2020, per Next Gen Stats. So not only was space constricted horizontally but also vertically. It becomes a lot easier to play defense when there’s less ground to cover.”

Roman can change the threat levels for opposing teams if he unleashes the speed of wideouts like Duvernay and Proche on ‘Go’ routes more often. It would also help to put 6’4″ Likely out wide and challenge defenses with fades and jump balls.

The Ravens have the arsenal to expand the playbook and stretch the field this season, but Roman needs to be brave and creative enough to make it happen. Using a talent like Bateman in more daring and progressive ways would be a good start.

Read More
,