Eric DeCosta is not walking away from his Rashod Bateman investment. The Baltimore Ravens general manager, in comments on 105.7 The Fan relayed Saturday by Pro Football Talk’s Michael David Smith, called 2025 “kind of a lost season in some ways” for Bateman — and said he expects the receiver to be one of the stories of the season in new offensive coordinator Declan Doyle’s offense.
“He’s a phenomenal athlete. Great route-runner. Rashod, it’s right there in front of him. He’s shown flashes of being a real problem for other teams,” DeCosta said. “He’s a playmaker, and I expect him to have a great year this year.”
The numbers behind the vote of confidence are stark. Baltimore signed Bateman to a three-year, $36.75 million extension last summer, then watched an ankle injury reduce him to a career-low 224 receiving yards. The season before, he had set career highs with 756 yards and nine touchdowns. The Ravens are betting the 2024 version is the real one, and DeCosta said he does not regret the contract.
The bet matters more than usual because of everything else Baltimore has changed around Lamar Jackson this offseason: a first-year play-caller in Doyle, three new starters on the offensive line, and an extension negotiation with Zay Flowers that DeCosta says will get done. Flowers commands coverage and Mark Andrews still owns the middle of the field, but when Bateman disappeared last year, defenses could squeeze both without paying a price outside. A 756-and-nine Bateman restores that price. The Ravens’ offense was good without him; the versions of this team that have played into late January needed a second receiver defenses actually feared.
The proof point comes fast. Ravens rookies report July 24 and veterans follow July 28, with the first full practice July 29. Watch whether Bateman handles a full workload from the first sessions — a healthy camp, in this offense, is the whole story.
For fantasy purposes, Bateman is one of the cheaper upside picks in the receiver pool. The 224-yard season pushed his draft cost to the late rounds, but the 2024 form came with nine touchdowns, and a new coordinator plus a public front-office endorsement is a reasonable case for a rebound. He is a low-cost stash in redraft and a hold in dynasty; Flowers remains the target leader in this offense, so treat Bateman as a WR4/5 with a path to more.
