OWINGS MILLS, Md. — It would be too strong to suggest Rashod Bateman and Lamar Jackson were two ships passing in the night for the Ravens last season, but big gaps were evident.
The 2021 first-round wide receiver was on and off the practice field with nagging muscle soreness and tightness during spring workouts. Just three days after the star quarterback returned from a bout of COVID-19 that kept him out for the start of training camp, Bateman suffered a groin injury that required surgery and cost him two months of field time.
By the time the 6-foot-1, 193-pound receiver made his NFL debut in Week 6, Jackson had already played his best football of 2021 and would throw just eight more touchdowns compared to 10 interceptions over his final seven games before sustaining a season-ending ankle injury in Week 14. In all, Bateman and Jackson played only six full games together, connecting 22 times through the air for 272 yards. The rookie’s other 24 receptions for 243 yards and lone touchdown came playing with backup quarterbacks Tyler Huntley and Josh Johnson, which wasn’t exactly what Baltimore had in mind during an 8-9 campaign.
Those realities made it no wonder the second-year wideout and two-time Pro Bowl quarterback “pre-communicated” at the end of last year to work out together this offseason. Those workouts also included Ravens wide receivers James Proche and Binjimen Victor.
“It’s definitely been really important. With the injury and missing time, getting that chemistry back with ‘L’ has definitely been important,” said Bateman, who added that Jackson looked “phenomenal as always” during their throwing sessions. “Working out with him was definitely a plus. Getting in shape, running some routes, it definitely felt good to connect with him.”
Needless to say, videos of those workouts posted to social media sparked enthusiasm from Ravens fans hoping to see more from Bateman this coming season. General manager Eric DeCosta has already said he expects the University of Minnesota product to take “a big, big jump,” a major reason why wide receiver isn’t regarded as a major draft need for Baltimore for the first time in years.
Just having a fully healthy spring and summer should pay dividends for the 22-year-old who ran smooth routes and made contested catches in his first NFL season despite never really being 100% before or after the surgery.
“I would definitely say it affected me a lot, but I have a great staff here. It’s a good family around me,” said Bateman about the groin injury and subsequent surgery. “Being able to have them here and my family as well, being able to get through that time was definitely special to have them by my side. They made it easy for me, but I would say it was still tough at the same time because it was my first injury.
“I had never missed a practice. I had never missed a game before. I definitely had to get used to that.”
As is the case with most young wide receivers, finding more consistency will be key as Bateman occasionally looked like an emerging No. 1 receiver while disappearing from the offense at other times. According to Pro Football Focus, he averaged an underwhelming 1.26 yards per route run while playing roughly 50 snaps per game over his 12 contests. The publication graded him 76th among 115 qualified NFL wide receivers last season.
In addition to putting in extra time with Jackson, Bateman will also try his second-year luck with a new jersey number, switching from No. 12 to the No. 7 that was worn by former Ravens quarterback Trace McSorley last season.
“I like to always play for something bigger than myself,” Bateman said. “With No. 12, there was really not too much I could connect with, but coming back this year, I wanted to make a change in all areas of my life. I’m really close with my mom as you guys know and her favorite number is seven, so it was an easy decision for me.”
Other jersey number announcements
Baltimore also announced prize free-agent safety Marcus Williams will wear No. 32, new right tackle Morgan Moses will wear No. 78, veteran safety Tony Jefferson will switch back to his old No. 23 worn in his first stint with Baltimore, offensive tackle Ja’Wuan James will wear No. 71, and second-year safety Ar’Darius Washington will don No. 29.
Williams will be wearing the same number as former Ravens safety Eric Weddle, who also played at the University of Utah and told the former New Orleans Saint that he’d really enjoy playing in Baltimore. Free-agent departure DeShon Elliott had worn No. 32 in each of the last three seasons.
