Rashod Bateman Flashes At Stadium Practice, Beats Humphrey for Long TD
BALTIMORE — It was a challenging matchup for a rookie wide receiver.
Rashod Bateman battled Pro Bowl cornerback Marlon Humphrey during team drills at M&T Bank Stadium,
Bateman faked a move inside and then ran down the sidelines past Humprhey and hauled in a perfect pass from backup quarterback Trace McSorley. Tight Mark Andrews was the first to celebrate with Bateman.
"That’s just the mentality that you have to have every single play," Bateman said. "You never know where the ball is going to go, you have to have that mentality every play. Marlon [Humphrey] has done a good job of making me better. I’m making him better, and that’s just the competition that we’ve got going on this training camp. I love it, I love the competition. We’re all just getting better each and every day.”
Was there any smack talk after the play?
“We just kind of keep it professional. We move on and we go on to the next play," Bateman said.
Baltimore selected Bateman in the first round of the draft and the coaches expect him to fight for a starting job.
He is already smooth with his route running and ability to catch the ball in traffic. Bateman also has the speed to get behind an NFL secondary.
Bateman is poised to have a solid rookie season.
“I just feel like he’s already prepared; he’s already a pro. I wouldn’t tell him that," fellow wide receiver Sammy Watkins said. "He’s just already … He runs routes, he’s doing the right things, he’s taking coaching; he’s out there busting his behind.
"And honestly, it’s rare to have a receiver come in prepared in this league, and I can say he’s definitely prepared with everything that they’ve been throwing at him, and I just feel like he’s going to have a successful career and year, this year.”
