Why Ravens Coaches Clearly Trust Devontez Walker More This Year Based on Minicamp

The key in the spring is opportunity, and Walker benefitted greatly from that and Lamar Jackson attending most OTAs

Jan 4, 2026; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Baltimore Ravens wide receiver Devontez Walker (81) reacts after scoring a touchdown against the Pittsburgh Steelers during the first half at Acrisure Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Barry Reeger-Imagn Images | Barry Reeger-Imagn Images

Be careful reading much of anything into mini camp. Spring football is fool’s gold.

Especially trying to project what someone making a cut or catching ball in glorified two-handed touch means for them making a roster, let alone making an impact on Sundays in real games, is fraught with peril. But certain situations that occur can portend quite well for a particular player at a particular time, and the OTA sessions and mini camps couldn’t have played out in a better fashion for third-year receiver Devontez Walker.

We readily admit that we were already high on his chances of making far more of an impact than ever before. And the more the Ravens new coaching staff, led by a rookie offensive coordinator, speak about what they want to do, and implement changes in pace and cadence and play action and under-center offensive tweaks, the more I get excited about what it could mean for Walker.

Zay Flowers, the only consistent receiving threat who returns from last year, kept using one word most frequently to describe why he is so excited about this offense: explosive. Jackson used the exact same word. Walker actually has the goods to provide that element among a group of wide receivers who largely lack that type of burst.

Big Play Potential

Walker has elite downfield metrics (24.7 air yards/target; route depth of nearly 13 yards) and he separates and catches the deep ball (when targeted, which is rare) and has earned some trust from Lamar Jackson, unlikely most of the other receivers on this roster. He also was readily available throughout the spring, at a time when Rashod Bateman was largely away or not on the field due to injury/illness, which gave Walker a chance to impress the new staff.

The more the Ravens have talked up Bateman, the less we buy it. There's an established body of work by now.

There is going to be a steep learning curve for the two receivers the Ravens selected in the draft, and their usage will be situational at first and at a time when not much can be won or lost in the standings, Walker continued to make some plays and flash his speed and he has the best combination of untapped size/speed vertical ability of anyone on the roster.

So, yeah, we remain bullish on his breakout. And after running just 61 routes last season – fewer than guys like return specialist Tylan Wallace or back-up running back Rasheen Ali – it won’t take much for him to get a ramped up opportunity in 2026. If he stays healthy, he undoubtedly will.

The prior staff didn’t seem to trust him enough, and were looking for veterans to bring in that essentially kept him off the field when he was healthy (DeAndre Hopkins ran over 200 routes, for instance). And to this point, Walker’s former coach in Baltimore, John Harbaugh, has been the one collecting all the old receivers again, while the Ravens have abstained.

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