Devin Duvernay Confident Ravens Can Be More Explosive
OWINGS MILLS, Md. — Ravens wide receiver Devin Duvernay is confident that he and Rashod Bateman can stretch the field this season.
Creating more explosive plays is a key area of focus for the Ravens offensive coordinator Greg Roman.
Duvernay expects to keep opposing secondaries on their heals.
“Yes, of course, of course. I think I can stretch the field – me and ‘Bate’, for sure [can] stretch the field – make plays, down the field," Duvernay said. "And whenever ‘G-Ro’ calls it, we’re ready.”
Ravens wide receiver Devin Duvernay wants to stretch the field.
The Ravens ranked 13th in the NFL with 54 plays of 20 or more yards and tied for 10th with six plays of 40 or more yards.
Baltimore traded its top receiver Marquise Brown to the Arizona Cardinals this offseason. Brown led the team with 1,008 yards receiving behind tight end Mark Andrews.
The Ravens have a young group of wide receivers eager to prove themselves.
"That’s exactly what the mentality is right now," Wide Receivers Coach Tee Martin said. "The guys do have a chip on their shoulder, and they want to go out and prove that they’re ready for their opportunity. And when we don’t draft a wide receiver, what the organization is saying to you is, ‘We brought you here for a reason, and it’s your time.’
"And so, whether it’s Rashod [Bateman], whether it’s Devin [Duvernay], Tylan [Wallace], James Proche, guys like that, they’ve been here, they know the system, they played, sparingly, in some roles, and now you’re going to look out there and see them on the field more often, getting an opportunity to make more plays for us.”
Martin has focused on developing the big plays at the recent OTAs and mandatory minicamp. He expects to see more success this season.
"We've been pushing the ball downfield more in individual drills, before we even get to 7-on-7 and just seeing where we are," Martin said. "It's hard to correct something if you don't know what the issues are. We've been getting more reps at that and we've been seeing improvement."
