The Baltimore Ravens officially have one of their top receivers back with the team. According to the team Twitter account, the Ravens have reinstated WR Rashod Bateman from the Reserve/Did Not Report list.
The details around Bateman’s initial absence, placed on the DNR list Friday, remain unclear. At the time, Eric DeCosta told reporters he expected Bateman to soon show up.
A former first-round pick out of Minnesota, Bateman has shined when on the field. In 18 games across two seasons, he’s caught 61 passes for 800 yards and three touchdowns. He got off to a hot start in 2022, averaging 19 yards per catch in his first six contests. But his career has been interrupted by injury, missing the start of his rookie year due to groin surgery and the latter half of 2022 with season-ending foot surgery.
In the offseason, Bateman took shots at now-fired Strength And Conditioning Coach Steve Saunders and took jabs at DeCosta following comments DeCosta made about the Ravens’ wide receiver room. It’s unclear if Bateman’s absence to begin camp was related to either of those events or if it was a separate, perhaps personal, issue that caused the delay.
Bateman will look to put together a strong 2023 season. Baltimore bolstered their wide receiver room this offseason, signing Odell Beckham Jr. to a pricey one-year deal and drafting Boston College’s Zay Flowers in the first round. Pair them with Mark Andrews and the Ravens’ passing attack looks much stronger than it has been. Of course, the primary goal is keeping everyone healthy, no one more important than QB Lamar Jackson, who has been unable to finish the last two seasons with the team.
Pittsburgh will see Baltimore in Week 5 and not again until the regular season finale, a Week 18 game the Ravens will be hosting. Odds are, it’ll be a pivotal matchup for the playoff hopes of both sides.
