OWINGS MILLS — The Ravens’ coaches and players have praised wide receiver Rashod Bateman throughout the offseason.
The franchise has a lot invested in Bateman.
He is a former first-round pick and the Ravens signed him to a two-year, $12,87 million contract extension in April that included a $3.44 million signing bonus.
Bateman had some highlight-reel moments in training camp and he is hoping to keep that momentum heading into the regular-season opener against the Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs on Thursday.
Bateman appreciates his teammates’ positive comments, but he knows he has to perform.
“Baltimore drafted me, and there’s been a lot of ‘he say, she say’ about me, but at the end of the day, I love playing here,” Bateman said. “I do love Baltimore. I love my teammates. So, for me, I just want to go out and do it right for the city [and] show those guys that they can depend on me, show the city that you can depend on me [and] show the coaching staff those things, as well. So, I’m definitely excited to go out, and, hopefully, bring a Super Bowl back to Baltimore.”
Last season, 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.
Bateman was a highly touted prospect at the University of Minnesota, where he recorded 147 receptions for 2,395 yards and 19 touchdowns — fifth most in school history — in 31 games. He averaged 77.3 receiving yards per game,16.3 yards per catch, and had 10 100-yard receiving.
Bateman has yet to equal that type of production in the NFL, but the Ravens have seen his potential, such as his 75-yard touchdown catch-and-run against the Miami Dolphins in Week 2 of 2022.
Unlike previous years, the team is working to get him more involved in the offense. Bateman had a solid training camp despite dealing with some nagging injuries that sidelined him for a few days, but now he needs to show that he can be a No. 1 wide receiver.
His teammates expect him to quiet his naysayers.
“He’s going to have a good one this year, because of the work he put in this offseason,” fellow wide receiver and first-round pick Zay Flowers said this week. “You can tell he’s been focused in the meeting rooms, he’s been talking to Lamar [Jackson], and he’s been talking to … He’s just been getting involved with everybody more in the offense. I think it’ll be a great year for him.”