Rashod Bateman Reveals Ravens Promising WR’s Biggest Improvement

Walker has been turning heads and showcasing both explosive playmaking ability and a more refined understanding of the nuances of running crisp routes, while expanding the types of routes he can execute at a high level. The most notable area of growth he has exhibited in the eyes of fifth-year veteran and fellow wideout, Rashod Bateman, is his confidence in himself.

"Coming in as a rookie, you're second-guessing [yourself] a lot," Bateman said. "You want to please the coaches; you want to please yourself. So, [there are] a lot of things going on in your mind, but I would definitely say that game has slowed down for 'Tez' [Devontez Walker]. He's playing at a high level, as you all can see. He's stacking days on top of each other. He's put in a lot of work, and he's committed to the game, so hopefully we'll see a lot more of him making plays this year, as well."

Bateman is a former first-round pick who is coming off a breakout season in which he was one of the best deep threats in the league and set career-highs in receiving yards (756) and touchdowns (9). While he is entrenched as one of the top three receivers on the depth chart along with Pro Bowlers Zay Flowers and DeAndre Hopkins, who was signed this offseason, Walker is vying for the No. 4 spot, which means he could still have a role on offense which could be even bigger if any of the starters had to miss time.

The former ACC standout is a potent vertical threat in his own right with blazing speed, having run a 4.34 at last year's NFL Scouting Combine, and he tracks the ball well down the field. He was one of many Ravens pass catchers who weren't able to showcase their skills much in the preseason opener as a result of inconsistent and flat-out poor quarterback play from backups Cooper Rush and Devin Leary.

While Walker wasn't one of the just four skill position players to catch a pass against the Indianapolis Colts last Thursday night, he still managed to impress. On the opening drive of the second quarter and the Ravens' fourth of the game, Walker made a nice catch deep down the left sideline. Although he wasn't able to finish the play in-bounds, he drew a 22-yard defensive pass interference.

The penalized play moved the ball into the red zone and just outside the Colts' 10-yard line, and two plays later, he got open in the back of the end zone, but Leary overthrew him on his lone target of the game. On the very next play, the second-year signal caller made an even worse mistake and threw the ball over the middle of the field late and got picked off for the Ravens' second turnover of the first half.

On Saturday, head coach John Harbaugh shared that they were still able to evaluate the run-blocking and route-running aspects of their receivers and other pass catchers' performances in games with such a lackluster aerial attack. However, he also admitted that it's "impossible" to evaluate the full scope that encompasses the pass-catching element.

Walker still has two more preseason games and plenty more practices between now and the start of the regular season to continue stacking and boosting his confidence as well as improve his rapport with franchise quarterback Lamar Jackson, a process the two-time league MVP recently said is going well.

"Our chemistry's been doing good since last year," Jackson said last Tuesday. "He really hasn't been getting a lot of reps with me this camp, but I feel like we're right there."