Ravens Rashod Bateman Will be 'Bigger Part' of Offense Next Season Says John Harbaugh
The Baltimore Ravens offense had a host of weapons for Lamar Jackson to utilize in Todd Monken's scheme this season, but one that wasn't truly unveiled was Rashod Bateman.
Having dealt with injuries in the last two seasons as Bateman only played six games in 2022 thanks to a foot injury, the speedy receiver bounced back and got some much-needed continuity in his game as he played 16 out of a possible 17 regular season games along with both playoff games this year.
It was a long grind for Bateman after having a promising start to his NFL career, only for injuries to interrupt his progress.
But now, after getting confidence in his health, head coach John Harbaugh sees Bateman having a bigger role on offense next season.
"Rashod Bateman has a great future," Harbaugh said. "Yes, he runs great routes. He's developed into a great, great route runner, and I know Lamar wants to get him the ball as much as he can. I want 'Bate' to flourish and make a bunch of plays, and he's going to do that, and I think he'll be a bigger part of it next year, just by the fact that he was healthy all year this year [and] had a chance to establish himself that way, and he'll be starting. He'll be playing all those snaps, and he'll rise to the occasion."
Mitch Stringer-USA TODAY Sports
Bateman showed flashes of his talent as the more he was on the field, the more confident he became. He had six catches for 53 yards in his first two games of the season as he was simply happy to be back playing football.
While there wasn't any "stat-padding" stuff from Bateman this season, he did have some consistency to his game as he had receiving totals of 34, 36, 28, and 25 over a four-game span. He was starting to get rolling.
Bateman's best game of the season came in the 56-19 curb-stomping of the Miami Dolphins where he hauled in four catches for 54 yards, and then in the playoff game vs. the Houston Texans, Bateman caught all three targets for 39 yards as again, he was playing consistent football.
His end-of-year stats of 367 yards and one touchdown from 32 receptions don't jump off the page, but considering that this season was more about just getting reps and building confidence, it was more than fine.
Now, with a chance to get a full preseason under his belt, Bateman will be a "bigger part" of what the Ravens do offensively going forward and that will only lead to good things for the organization.
