Baltimore Ravens wide receiver Rashod Bateman entered the 2024 NFL season under a lot of pressure.
The 2021 first-round draft pick struggled with injuries and with developing chemistry with Lamar Jackson through his first three seasons. Coming into 2024, Bateman had topped 500 receiving yards just once (his rookie year) and had only four career touchdowns.
The Ravens still gave Bateman a two-year, $12 million extension, with Ravens GM Eric DeCosta publicly expressing confidence in Bateman. Head coach John Harbaugh said the team "expected" Bateman to produce like a top receiver this year.
Sure, Bateman wasn't going to be playing for a contract this year, but another disappointing season might have cursed him with the "bust" label and ended his time in Baltimore.
So far, Bateman is delivering on a breakout season.
Bateman's numbers are still fairly pedestrian: 13 catches, 202 yards, 15.5 yards per catch, with two touchdowns. However, averaged over a 17-game season, Bateman is on track to post 44 catches, 686 yards, and 6 touchdowns, numbers that would easily make for a career season for Bateman.
The Ravens' Week 5 win over the Cincinnati Bengals was Bateman's best game of the season: four catches on eight targets for 58 yards and a touchdown. It was Bateman's highest yardage since Week 3 of the 2022 season.
Anyone watching the Ravens can see Bateman is more involved in the Ravens offense. Bateman, who has always been a good route-runner, has been targeted by Jackson 22 times this season for an average of 4.4 targets per game, an improvement from 3.5 targets per game last year.
Bateman's opportunities have also been limited by what's been a run-heavy offense so far this season. The Ravens leaned heavily on Derrick Henry in Weeks 2-4 before finally opening up the passing game in the Week 5 shootout with the Bengals.
There are other metrics that show Bateman's productivity this season. According to Pro Football Focus, Bateman has created separation on a league-high 72.7% of his routes. The second-best receiver as created separation on 61.5% of his routes.
In other words, Bateman is getting open, something the Ravens themselves see and want to capitalize on.
"I feel like [Bateman's] open a lot, because he runs such good routes, and Lamar [Jackson] finds him, and it's starting to just really grow," Harbaugh told reporters in September, adding: "Bate's upside is phenomenal."
As Bateman and Jackson's chemistry grows, it's possible that Bateman's receiving stats start to climb as well.
Fans and analysts have worried that the Ravens' receiving corps was too thin. While it isn't the deepest in the league, the Ravens also have Henry, plus two weapons in the pass game in tight ends Isaiah Likely and Mark Andrews.
If Bateman continues his upward trajectory, the Ravens very well may find themselves with plenty of weapons to use.
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