During his Wednesday press conference, Ravens General Manager Eric DeCosta was asked about his team’s track record of drafting receivers.
As part of his response, DeCosta said, “If I had an answer, that would probably mean I would have some better receivers. … We’re gonna keep swinging.
“There have been some guys that have been successful players for us that were draft picks. We’ve never really hit on that All-Pro type of guy, which is disappointing, but it’s not for a lack of effort. … It’s one of those anomalies that I really can’t explain, other than to say that we’re not going to stop trying.”
Current Ravens receiver Rashod Bateman saw a tweet of that quote and he didn’t take kindly to it.
“How bout you play to your player’s strength and & stop pointing the finger at us and #8 [quarterback Lamar Jackson] …blame the one you let do this…. we take heat 24/7,” Bateman posted on Twitter. “And keep us healthy … care about US & see what happen..ain’t no promises tho … tired of y’all lyin and capn on players for no reason.”
Former Ravens receiver Marquise Brown quoted a screenshot of Bateman’s tweet and added, “Let him cook” in support.
Baltimore has been criticized in recent years as a team that is not receiver friendly because of its offense. That could change under new offensive coordinator Todd Monken, but the Ravens have had a tough time with developing and signing premiere receivers.
Bateman was a first-round pick in 2021 but has dealt with significant injuries in his first two seasons. He missed much of 2021 with a groin injury. In 2022, he played only six games due to a foot injury, recording 15 catches for 285 yards with a pair of touchdowns.
DeCosta said this week that Bateman is doing well in his recovery from foot surgery and he’s excited to see what the receiver can do in 2023.
Brown was traded to Arizona last spring after spending his first three seasons with the club. In his first year with Arizona, Brown caught 67 passes for 709 yards with three touchdowns in 12 games.