Ravens 2026 Positional Assessment: Wide Receivers

A year ago this offense was Zay And Pray.

Anyone else who was targeted you had to pray would come down with the ball; tight end Mark Andrews was second on the team with 422 receiving yards and the second-highest producing receiver was De’Andre Hopkins with 330. Seems impossible in the modern NFL and especially a year after the Ravens had one of the more diverse and dynamic run/pass balances in the history of the league.

They are a long way from that, with rookie offensive coordinator Declan Doyle needing to fix an offense that lacked explosives and red-zone threats and consistent difference makers. He’s going to use more pace and motion and play action to try to unlock a wildly unspectacular group of pass catchers, and this group feels a lot like many receiver rooms five or six years ago – a lot of hope and not many proven options.

Key Contracts

Starters:

Zay Flowers $2.6M ($4.5M cap): The Ravens exercised his $27.3M fifth-year option for 2027, which could make for a pricier extension than the market might otherwise yield. But after so many misfires drafting WRs, and with so many young UFAs leaving this winter, general manager Eric DeCosta will prioritize this signing. And he doesn’t have any other real money tied up in pass catchers overall.

Rashod Bateman $6.5M ($6.2M cap): He’s signed through 2029, technically, but has no future guaranteed money and with low base salaries like $7.5M this is a tradeable contract. Or cuttable contract.

Back-up: Devontez Walker: Still on his rookie deal, he could be primed for a significantly increased role in a ramped-up deep game with more downfield aggression.

Others To Know

Ja’Kobi Lane: Third-round pick should show up big in redzone packages. Lacks explosion but excels on back-shoulder fades. Probably sees a limited route tree.

Elijah Sarratt: Late-round pick can win more in traffic and should be a big-bodied slot chain-mover for Lamar Jackson. Could end up seeing more target volume despite being the lower selected draft picks. Scouts were talked to preferred him as the potential starter of the two.

Prognosis For 2026 – Too Thin

Receivers tend to need time to develop and this group will hopefully be a lot better by the second half of the season. They added interesting body types to the group but not blazing speed – Walker could come in handy there. Bareman has one productive season in his career, he wasn’t taking part in almost anything on field all spring and he’s rarely been on the same page as Lamar Jackson.

The front office has resisted the temptation to add aging receivers – but former Ravens head coach John Harbaugh is steady doing it. That might change by the trade deadline if youngsters can’t breakthrough. An injury to Flowers – who is small and does get dinged up – would feel fairly devastating.

Doyle is telegraphing his desire to run more 11 personnel (three receivers) but how this shakes out and how much of the rookie snaps are situational remains to be seen. I'd feel better about the current group if I felt better about Bateman.

Prognosis Beyond 2026 – Solid

Flowers isn’t going anywhere, as noted. And he’s just entering his prime. I am buying Walker as someone whose best is yet to come and history would tell us that one of the receivers they drafted will end up being a real contributor. It’s going to be hard to have a less impactful group of receivers than 2025 for quite some time, so maybe I’m setting the bar too low.

But compared to other positions there are more players on their rookie deals you can feel good about beyond this year. And I’m saying that while factoring in that Bateman is a sunk cost they just haven’t gotten around to treating as such.

Projections

The Ravens entire receiver group had 13 touchdown receptions last year and they had less than 2000 receiving yards as a unit and failed to generate sufficient YAC. That’s a joke and Flowers lacks size and barely gets targeted in the redzone let alone the endzone. These kid receivers are going to get chances to score and they have to convert. I wouldn’t be shocked if Walker out-produces Bateman. I think Sarratt has the better season of the two rookies and quickly earns Lamar’s trust.

Zay will lead the way, but I’m projecting more like 1000 receiving yards. They simply must have more players catching balls 20 yards or deeper downfield. If this team gets where it wants to go, the defense will lead them there. But getting more WRs at the 500-750 yard range is a must.

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