The Ravens set out to significantly improve their passing offense in the offseason, notably signing receiver Sammy Watkins and drafting receiver Rashod Bateman in the first round.
But establishing on-field chemistry during training camp has been a bit of an issue for Baltimore. First, quarterback Lamar Jackson was out for an extended period of time after testing positive for COVID-19 for the second time. And even since his return, several wideouts have been out due to injury.
Per Jamison Hensley of ESPN, only six of Baltimore’s 12 receivers were dressed for Tuesday’s practice. Marquise Brown (hamstring), Sammy Watkins (undisclosed), Rashod Bateman (groin), Miles Boykin (hamstring), James Porche (back), and Deon Cain (undisclosed) all did not participate. Bateman is slated to be out until September after undergoing surgery to repair the groin injury.
When asked about the numerous absences on Tuesday, Jackson expressed confidence that the offense would be OK.
“I’ve worked with those guys before they went down and stuff like that. So I think when they come back, we’ll be hitting right where we started off at,” Jackson said in his press conference. “But we’ve got guys who have come in and they’ve been working very hard and done a tremendous job since those guys have been out. And when they get back, we can go from there. But we’re not worried about it because they’ve been working hard, and we’ve been working hard as well.”
There are still about three weeks before the Ravens take on the Raiders to start the season, so Baltimore’s offense has time to jell. But having so many injuries to the team’s receiving corps could lead to a slower start than desired for the unit.