Rashod Bateman Flashing Versatility for Ravens

OWINGS MILLS, Md — It took a while for Rashod Bateman to get back on the field because of an injury, but the rookie wide receiver is showing he can be an impactful player for the Ravens.

Over two games, Bateman has seven receptions for 109 yards.

One week after playing 45 snaps against the Chargers, Bateman played 46 against the Bengals was tied with Marquise Brown with 80 yards receiving,

“It definitely feels good to be back on the field – back healthy," Bateman said. "[I’m] being able to play comfortable; shout out to the coaches and my players for helping me out [and] leading me through the week as it goes. It’s definitely fun to be back out there playing with the team.”

Bateman is a versatile wide receiver that fits in well with the Ravens. He started as an outside receiver for the University of Minnesota before moving inside.

The ability to make that transition made him a target for the Ravens in the first round of the 2021 draft.

"Some guys are a fish out of water outside when they come in, or inside when they go out. Rashod [Bateman], just like Sammy [Watkins] and those guys, they just have a good feel regardless of where you put them on the field, and that just helps us," wide receivers coach Tee Martin said. "We have four receivers, actually, that can play all three positions. No. 1, that’s very rare to have. I’m thankful it’s for us and we can move guys around. Because really, if you couldn’t do that, it would have been really hard for us to get to this point with the injuries that we’ve had.

"But it’s a credit to him. Us seeing it on tape from him in college during the draft process and him being able to adjust to the NFL [and] the speed of the game. This team was blitzing and doing all kind of stuff, and he did a really good job of reading blitzes and making himself available for catches. As a rookie, that was really good to see.”

Expectations are high for Bateman and he could play an even more prominent role over the second half of the season.

“I look forward to everybody getting healthy," Bateman said. "But sometimes some guys have to step up at times when needed, and I feel like we’ve been able to do that as a team. But we’re definitely excited to get those guys back as soon as they get healthy.”