Ravens WR depth chart: Rashod Bateman, Devin Duvernay look for breakout seasons

The Ravens lost both Marquise Brown and Sammy Watkins, the team’s most prolific and third-most productive wide receivers of 2021, this offseason. And yet, Baltimore didn’t lose its leading receiver.

That honor goes to tight end Mark Andrews, who led the team in receptions (107), yards (1,316) and touchdowns (nine) last year. Andrews’ 12.7 yards per reception was second on the team behind only Watkins’ 14.6.

For what it’s worth, it doesn’t seem like the Ravens prioritized the position in the offseason. They made no free hand actions and used only three of 11 NFL draft picks for offensive players (tight ends Charlie Kolar and Isaiah Likely and running back Tyler Badie). The team added five receivers as undrafted free agents.

So the question facing the Ravens in 2022 is what will the receiving corps look like given the following:

• Andrews has a history as the main recipient of Lamar Jackson;
• Jackson is one of the best dual threat quarterbacks in the league;
• The team will likely focus on the running game, starting with JK Dobbins;
• And the receiving corps is missing Brown and Watkins.

MORE: Ravens 2022 schedule: Dates and times for all 17 games, record prediction

From experience, Rashod Bateman is the new WR1. But he’s only in his second season; Devin Duvernay and James Proche both entered the league a year before him. The likely fourth recipient is Tylan Wallace, a sophomore.

The Ravens’ receivers in 2022 will be a mix of youth and experience. The group at least has Andrews to relieve pressure and an MVP quarterback to give them the ball.

Here’s a breakdown of the Ravens wide receiver depth chart for 2022 from Bateman to Wallace:

Raven’s WR depth map

1. Rashod Bateman

The 2022 season is Bateman’s time to shine. Brown and Watkins are gone, leaving the sophomore receiver as the returning positional group leader in goals (68) and receptions (47). Also consider that Bateman missed the first five games of his rookie season in 2021 with a nagging groin injury.

Despite this injury, Bateman was third on the team behind Andrews and Brown in goals, receptions and yards (515). He only had the one touchdown in 2021, although it stands to reason he’ll have more of those as Jackson’s primary wide receiver target.

Watch out though, as Andrews commands most of the red zone targets and Jackson scores more than a few points.

2. Devin Duvernay

Duvernay has breakout potential, having earned first-team All-Pro honors as a specialist last season (1,063 combined return yards). He can move in space, although that didn’t necessarily show up as a receiver on the stat sheet; He caught 33 receptions for 272 yards and two points.

Ravens coach John Harbaugh is looking at ways to get Duvernay more involved on offense, including backfield handoffs and jet sweeps.

“It’s something he’s done his whole career (and) in college too,” Harbaugh said (of the Ravens). “He’s going to play a big part in that. I don’t know if he’ll be in the backfield as a running back per se; I think (it will be) more of a jet sweep type, a mover type. But that’s part of our offensive. Running backs lead those games too, so he definitely will.

MORE: Lamar Jackson contract: QB warns of ‘cutoff’ in Ravens extension talks

3.James Proche II

Proche, a sixth-round pick in the 2020 NFL Draft, will improve his production after moving up the depth chart. The 5-9, 193-pounder would set career highs in several categories after catching just 16 passes to 20 goals for 202 yards last season.

Proche has made the most of limited playing time in his first two seasons; Now he should see more use in 2022, especially after ending his Week 15 season with a seven-catch, 76-yard performance against the Bengals. He and several other receivers in camp were reportedly sharp, with Proche cornerback Kevon defeating Seymour for a long touchdown.

4. Tylan Wallace

Wallace, like Proche, is a former college star who hasn’t produced in the NFL like he would have hoped. He also has the lowest performance among Baltimore’s recurring receivers, with just two catches on six targets for 23 yards. Those are all team lows among receivers, even if he played in all 17 games in 2021.

Wallace also reportedly had a good camp. It’s up to him to make the most of his chance and get into the rotation.