The Baltimore Ravens got a boost when Zay Flowers emerged as a top wide receiver in his first year, so the team can consider finding another team to trade Rashod Bateman during the 2024 NFL draft.
That’s the opinion of The 33rd Team’s Jeff Diamond, who thinks “It’s unlikely the Ravens will keep Bateman for a fifth year. A trade during the draft, where they could get a mid-round pick from a team that highly values Bateman, would benefit both the team and the player.”
A trade would also make sense because “Baltimore’s first-round pick last year, Zay Flowers, is clearly the team’s top wide receiver. Pro Bowl TE Mark Andrews is also targeted much more than Bateman, who has had issues with drops. He missed 12 games in 2022 due to a foot injury.”
Diamond explained that there’s even a potential budget saving from trading Bateman: “The Ravens can also replace Bateman with one of their early-round picks from a strong receiver class and save $2.35 million on this year’s budget; Baltimore could use the room because it only has $9.1 million available.”
Rashod Bateman Has Failed to Deliver
Like Flowers, Bateman was a first-round draft pick, the 27th player selected in 2021. The notable difference is that while Flowers wasted no time becoming a playmaker, Bateman has failed to deliver.
Injuries haven’t helped, but Bateman has also struggled with mechanics. Specifically, being able to reel the ball in on a consistent basis.
The problem has proved costly at times. Particularly during a 17-10 defeat to the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 5, when Bateman dropped what should have been a sure touchdown, a gaffe highlighted by Mr Matthew CFB.
Bateman’s dropped 10 passes in 21 career starts, according to Pro Football Reference. His inconsistent hands have wasted the genuine vertical speed that’s helped Bateman average 12.5 yards per reception.
The ability to stretch the field should tempt a potential trade suitor or two for Bateman. Then the Ravens might be able to repeat the kind of deal they struck when they sent Marquise ‘Hollywood’ Brown to the Arizona Cardinals in the first round of the 2022 draft.
It’s a deal the Ravens could justify thanks to the presence of Flowers.
Zay Flowers Boosted Ravens’ Passing Game
A debut season featuring 77 catches, 858 yards and six touchdowns established Flowers as Lamar Jackson’s favorite wide receiver. More than the numbers, Flowers proved adept at gashing defenses from every level of the field.
Often seen as a slot-style, intermediary receiver, Flowers also demonstrated a useful deep threat. It was summed up by this 75-yard scoring connection with Jackson against the Miami Dolphins, highlighted by Ryan Mink of Ravens.com.
Flowers is the key to a Jackson-led passing game as a roving coverage mismatch offensive coordinator Todd Monken can unleash from multiple spots.
The second-year pro was “involved in a domestic violence investigation earlier this year,” according to ESPN’s Jamison Hensley: “The alleged incident occurred Jan. 16 in Owings Mills, Maryland. According to a police report, a woman said she was involved in a ‘violent’ domestic incident with an NFL player. She told police the player’s brother pulled a gun on her.”
The NFL released a statement on Thursday, April 18, per Hensley: “After looking into it, the NFL decided there wasn't enough proof to show that Zay Flowers did anything against the NFL’s personal conduct rules. The league won't take any action.”
Hensley also mentioned that “The NFL’s conclusion that Zay Flowers didn't break the personal conduct rules comes two months after the Baltimore County police stopped investigating the Ravens receiver. According to the NFL, Flowers can still take part in all team activities.”
Flowers will team up with veteran who is back receiver Nelson Agholor as the main wideouts for Jackson. This means there's space for the Ravens to pick one or two players in the draft to add talent at the position, especially if Bateman is traded.
A player like Oregon’s Troy Franklin could be a good fit as a playmaker similar to Flowers.
