The Baltimore Ravens have the NFL’s best wide receiver in one category.
It isn’t just Lamar Jackson and Derrick Henry powering an explosive offense for the Baltimore Ravens. Not when forgotten wide receiver Rashod Bateman is leading the NFL in one particular category.
Bateman is proving a problem against press coverage. The oft-injured former first-round pick “has created separation on a league-high 72.73% of snaps against press coverage. The next-closest receiver is at 61.54% after five weeks,” according to Pro Football Focus.
Those numbers are the main reason why Jeff Zrebiec of The Athletic believes “Bateman, in particular, has been a tough matchup for teams.” Zrebiec made the point after Bateman and Zay Flowers combined to help Jackson shred the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 5.
Flowers quickly cemented himself as Jackson’s go-to wideout last season precisely because Bateman struggled to get onto the field. That’s changing this year, with Bateman giving Jackson another potent threat on the outside.
Rashod Bateman Finally Showing First-Round Skills for Ravens
Bateman’s turned 13 receptions into 202 yards and a pair of touchdowns through five games. His 15.5-yard average per reception and 40.4 yards after catch show Bateman is putting his impressive play speed to good use.
A nice example of his improvement came during the 41-38 win over the Bengals. When Jackson rolled out to find a wide-open Bateman on the run for six points.
It’s been a long wait for the Ravens to see Bateman put it all together like he did on this play. The hope for more plays like this was behind the decision to select Bateman with the 27th pick in the 2021 NFL draft.
Injuries and inconsistency have kept the 24-year-old from making the grade for too long. A litany of problems, including groin, foot and hamstring issues, have kept Bateman out of 17 games since he entered the pros.
Staying healthy hasn’t been the only obstacle preventing Bateman from becoming a consistent force. He’s also had trouble hanging onto the ball, being guilty of 10 drops during his his first three campaigns, per Pro Football Reference.
Bateman is starting to make the tough catches. Like when he snagged this off-platform deep throw from Jackson against the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 1.
It’s another sign of Bateman’s obvious improvement. His upward trajectory is contributing to the increasingly new look and greater playmaking potential of the Ravens’ passing game.
Ravens Getting Younger, More Dynamic in Passing Game
There’s a changing of the guard in the way the Ravens attack defenses through the air. It’s most clear at tight end, where All-Pro veteran Mark Andrews is struggling for targets, but third-year playmaker Isaiah Likely is getting more attention from Jackson in clutch moments.
Similar changes are afoot at wide receiver, even though Flowers is managing to build on a 77-catch rookie campaign. Bateman’s the one making the difference, and not just because he’s overtaking veteran Nelson Agholor as Jackson’s preferred other wideout.
This shift means the Ravens are more dynamic when throwing the ball. They can stretch the field more often and more effectively, creating a deadly vertical complement to the brute-force running of Henry.
Provided Bateman stays healthy, that combination could finally give the Ravens the offensive firepower they need to complete a long overdue Super Bowl push.
