OWINGS MILLS —To the outside critics, the Ravens still have questions at wide receiver.
While several young players are looking to have breakout years, the Ravens don’t have a wideout with a Pro Bowl on his resume.
But coach John Harbaugh is confident that Zay Flowers, Rashod Bateman, Nelson Agholor, and rookie Devontez Walker will be productive next season, regardless of what the pundits say.
“I’m excited about the wide receiver position,” Harbaugh said. “I’m looking forward to seeing this offense come together, and we’ve been working the personnel side of it; we’ve been working the scheme side of it; we’ve been working with the individual players – developmentally. You put all those things together, and you get out there, and you start practicing, and you get ready to play games.
“This is a very talented group, and anybody that wants to challenge that, bring it on. You’ve got to line up and play against us, and we’ll see if we don’t have playmakers out there running around [and] making plays.”
Flowers led the team with 77 receptions for 858 yards and five touchdowns as a rookie. He is expected to make more strides this season as he becomes more comfortable with the speed of the NFL.
The Ravens also reached a contract extension with Bateman through the 2026 season.
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. DeCosta and coach John Harbaugh have high expectations for Bateman this season and think he can play at a Pro Bowl level.
The Ravens re-signed Agholor to a one-year extension this offseason. He caught 35 passes for 381 yards and four touchdowns in 2023.
Walker has the pedigree to push for playing time in his rookie season. Last year as a junior at North Carolina, Walker appeared in eight games with six starts and had 41 receptions for 699 yards and seven touchdowns. He was named third-team All-ACC.
The wide receivers group has potential but will have to show that productivity on the field.
“I’m personally very excited about this group,” Harbaugh said. “Obviously, ‘Tez’ [Devontez Walker] is a great addition, and the guys that are already there are going to really have good seasons. So, we’re ready to go.”
