The Baltimore Ravens enter the 2023 NFL season with ambitions to be bigger than Lamar Jackson. In years past, the Ravens' entire offense (and, really, season) rested on Jackson's arms and legs—when he played, they were very good; when he was hurt, they were doomed. After crapping out in the Wild Card round with Lamar Jackson sidelined by an injured knee, the Ravens spent the offseason retooling and reimagining their offense. Out went Greg Roman, their limited offensive coordinator who could never draw up a functioning passing game. In came star receiver Odell Beckham Jr. and Todd Monken, a new offensive coordinator by way of the University of Georgia. The goal was transparent: create a passing attack as potent as their ground game. As such, Isaiah Likely and Rashod Bateman are two Ravens who are primed to break out in the 2023 NFL season.
Isaiah Likely, TE
While it may seem self-defeating to try to juice your passing game by playing two tight ends, Likely is the kind of mobile, versatile piece that every offense needs. A fourth round pick out of Coastal Carolina in 2022, Likely hauled in 36 passes for 373 yards and three touchdowns during his rookie year. While Likely's stats are somewhat modest, his talent immediately pops on the field.
He's the prototypical mismatch nightmare—defensive backs are too shrimpy to tangle with his 6'4, 240 pound frame; linebackers aren't fluid enough to keep up with him across the middle of the field. As a pass-catcher, he's the total package: he has the quick feet to run any route, the soft hands to snag any pass, and the wiggly elusiveness to slip right through arm tackles in the open field. When Likely is at his best, defenders can neither stop him from getting the ball nor bring him down once he does.
To wit, Monken is the exact right coach to unearth the best version of Likely. Likely may be the nominative backup to All Pro tight end Mark Andrews, but Monken is no stranger to finding success in two tight end sets. At Georgia, Monken built his power spread offense around the twin talents of Brock Bowser and Darnell Washington, two of the best tight ends in college football. Even if Andrews and Likely aren't maulers at the line of scrimmage like Bowser and Washington, they offer more in the passing game, creating the opportunity for Likely to cement himself as a major part of the Ravens' offense.
Rashod Bateman, WR
If you're a fantasy football sicko (and, if you're reading an article in mid-June about sleepers on the Ravens, I'm assuming you are one), Rashod Bateman is a familiar name. The Ravens' first round draft pick in 2021, Bateman has seemingly been on the cusp of a breakout for the last two seasons. As a rookie, Bateman was injured for the five games of the season, but immediately established himself as one of the Ravens' most dangerous weapons; his 515 yards trailed only Mark Andrews and the since-departed Marquise Brown. With Brown shipped off to Arizona during the 2022 NFL Draft, Bateman was poised to assume the mantle as Baltimore's primary receiver last season. Instead, he was plagued by injuries, playing just six games and notching a paltry 285 yards as he foundered about and never found a consistent rhythm on the field.
Whereas Bateman was hailed as a potential savior for the last two years, he's now an afterthought. This offseason, the Ravens invested heavily in the receiving corps, using the 22nd pick in the NFL Draft on receiver Zay Flowers and inking Odell Beckham Jr. to a one year, $15 million contract. In this sense, Bateman is the classic post-hype sleeper, finally ready to blossom into the star that he seemed destined to become.
Although Flowers and Beckham will probably eat up some of Bateman's potential targets, this is probably a good thing—Bateman might not be a sure bet in terms of quantity of targets, but the quality of them will be better than ever since defenses can't load up against him. Bateman is still every bit as talented as he has always been, but he'll now get to feast on overmatched second- and third-string corner backs rather than have to contend with elite defensive backs.
Ironically, Bateman could be able to carry the Ravens' passing game now that he's been freed from the pressure of having to carry the Ravens' passing game. Through 18 games across two seasons, Bateman has racked up a total of 61 catches for 800 yards and three touchdowns. If he can stay healthy, look for him to blow past those numbers next season alone.
Follow Us
Subscribe
