After keeping wide receivers Rashod Bateman and Miles Boykin on the initial 53-man roster, the Ravens moved the two to injured reserve on Thursday evening, sidelining them until at least Week 4 of the regular season.
The 27th overall pick of April’s draft, Bateman has been sidelined since injuring his groin during training camp and undergoing surgery on Aug. 13. Head coach John Harbaugh said at the time of the surgery that Bateman would be back “sometime in September,” leading many to believe the three-week minimum IR stint — shortened to ease potential roster burdens during the COVID-19 pandemic — was in play for the talented University of Minnesota product who caught 147 passes for 2,395 yards and 19 touchdowns in 31 career college games.
The 6-foot-1, 193-pound Bateman flashed promise in the spring and early summer, but he had been in and out of practice with “muscle tightness” before sustaining a more substantial groin injury on Aug. 10. The Ravens will now hope their first-round receiver can be ready to make his NFL debut against Denver on Oct. 3.
Boykin was off to a slow start in training camp before injuring his hamstring on Aug. 2. The 2019 third-round pick from Notre Dame has been slow to develop, catching just 32 passes for 464 yards and seven touchdowns in 32 career games. Unlike Bateman, however, Boykin’s place on the roster isn’t a sure thing as many believed he was on the bubble before suffering the injury. But with the Ravens relying on the oft-injured Sammy Watkins this season, a 6-foot-4, 220-pound receiver with good blocking and special-teams skills wasn’t a bad option to stash on IR for later in the season.
Baltimore now has five wide receivers on the active roster: Watkins, Marquise Brown, Devin Duvernay, James Proche, and rookie fourth-round pick Tylan Wallace.
The Ravens filled one of their two open 53-man roster spots by re-signing tight end Eric Tomlinson. With top blocking tight end Nick Boyle (knee) just returning to practice this week and not expected to be ready for the Sept. 13 opener at Las Vegas, Tomlinson was a logical short-term replacement. Outside linebacker Pernell McPhee will presumably fill the other open spot, but the Ravens had yet to announce a reunion with the 32-year-old as of Wednesday evening.
