OWINGS MILLS — Zay Flowers and Rashod Bateman are expected to be the foundation for the Ravens’ wide receivers this year.
Coach John Harbaugh has expressed optimism about the duo throughout the offseason. General manager Eric DeCosta opted not to acquire a veteran wideout for training camp.
So far, Flowers and Bateman have looked solid and each could be poised for strong seasons with Lamar Jackson at quarterback.
.Ravens offensive coordinator Todd Monken has seen both players mature, and he is looking forward to seeing what they can do during the regular season.
“You can see that with players as they gain experience – they’re confident to be engaged on the field and in meetings, ask questions, have ideas, have thoughts,” Monken said. “Like, ‘Can we do it this way? What about this? What about this?’ When you’re younger, you’re just trying to learn it – it’s hard to be engaged when you’re not sure yourself.”
Flowers led the team with 77 receptions for 858 yards and five touchdowns as a rookie. He is expected to make more strides as he becomes more comfortable with the speed of the NFL.
He has stood out in the offseason workouts and training camp. He appears quicker and has beenworking on his yards after catch (YAC).
“[I want to] take the whole game to the next level, everything from blocking to catching,” Flowers said. “I’m trying to get better at everything, and I’m trying to improve every year and prove all the doubters wrong.”
The Ravens showed confidence in Bateman by signing him to a two-year, $12,87 million contract extension in April that included a $3,44 million signing bonus. The deal provides security for Bateman, who looks more comfortable in the passing game this offseason.
This past year, Bateman appeared in 16 regular-season games and finished fifth on the team with 32 receptions for 367 yards and a touchdown. He also caught four passes for 41 yards in the two playoff games.
Bateman has dealt with various injuries, including hernia surgery that sidelined him for the first six games of his rookie season. The following year, he had foot surgery and was placed on injured reserve after six games.
“The foot is healed, and it’s not a problem anymore – thank God,” Bateman said. “Obviously, this year is different than last year. I’m healthy, 100 percent, and that’s all I can say about it. I don’t really want to keep talking about my injuries. It’s past me. That’s the past now, so we’re onto bigger and better things now.”
Bateman has made some of the most impressive receptions during the first week of training, including an acrobatic catch in the end zone on the second day. Those types of plays will be key for him to maintain a high level of confidence once the regular season starts.
“I think he’s always had a belief in himself as a player,” Monken said. “I think it’s good for all of us; quarterbacks, [as well as] collectively as a team. We’re expecting a big year from Rashod. Once he got fully healthy, which wasn’t for a while last year – he was hurt, got healthy, got nicked up again, came on. We’re expecting great things from him, and he is from himself.”
