OWINGS MILLS, Md. — Baltimore Ravens first-round pick Rashod Bateman will miss “a number of weeks” after the rookie wide receiver suffered a soft tissue leg injury, coach John Harbaugh said Wednesday.
“I don’t know how many [weeks],” Harbaugh said. “It’s not going to be months, but it will be weeks and we’ll see where we’re at.”
Bateman, the No. 27 pick in this year’s NFL draft, had been battling through abdominal and core muscle injuries throughout training camp. On Tuesday, Bateman made a cut while running a route against cornerback Marcus Peters and fell to the ground without any contact. He was holding the inside of his right leg on the sideline before limping to the locker room.
Asked whether Bateman will be available to play in the Sept. 13 season opener at Las Vegas, Harbaugh said he’s “still hopeful” but pointed out that he’s not going to give specific injury timelines because it’s getting too close to the regular season.
“This is tough with it being the first injury in my career, but I trust that God has a plan for me,” Bateman posted on his Instagram stories. “The future is bright, and this is just a small bump in the road. My eyes are set on getting right back to help this team. Be back soon.”
Bateman was projected to be among Lamar Jackson’s top three wide receivers this season and was solid in camp when healthy. He had missed three practices before getting hurt Tuesday.
This marks the fourth injury to a Baltimore wide receiver through three weeks of training camp. Bateman joins Marquise “Hollywood” Brown (hamstring), Miles Boykin (hamstring) and Deon Cain (undisclosed) as wideouts who’ve missed practices this week. Brown, who hasn’t practiced since July 29, has been running off to the side and looks like he’s close to returning.
The Ravens are left with three healthy wide receivers who’ve caught a pass in the regular season: Sammy Watkins, Devin Duvernay and James Proche.
Bateman’s injury likely means he’ll have very limited reps with Jackson heading into the regular season. With Jackson missing the first 10 days of camp after testing positive for COVID-19, he has had only one full practice with Bateman this summer.