The Ravens have been waiting for one of their wideouts to grab hold of a job, and Devontez Walker got a clean opening in Week 2. He just didn’t do much with it.
With Zay Flowers sidelined by a hamstring injury after a strong first half in Week 1 against the Colts, and rookie Ja’Kobi Lane out after fracturing his wrist, Baltimore needed someone else to step forward against the Saints. Rashod Bateman was thrust into the No. 1 role for Lamar Jackson, and Walker had a chance to make a case for himself after being selected in the fourth round of the 2024 NFL Draft.
Instead, outside of one 47-yard connection with Jackson, Walker was mostly invisible.
That matters because the runway is already starting to shrink. Flowers could return as soon as Week 3, when the Ravens play the Cowboys in Brazil.
Lane, meanwhile, is not expected back until at least Week 6 for a divisional matchup with the Browns. That leaves Baltimore with a window, but it won’t stay open long.
The Ravens also have other bodies in the mix. Fifth-round rookie Elijah Sarratt was a healthy scratch in Week 1, then got activated for Week 2 without recording a stat.
He should get some looks over the next few games while Lane remains out. Chris Moore is back with the team too, but his return was quiet: one catch for 6 yards, plus a missed chance on a key third-and-1 long pass in the second half that helped lead to a questionable punt.
Walker hasn’t separated himself from Moore, and that’s the problem. After two previous seasons in Baltimore that produced only seven catches total, it’s fair to wonder how much patience the Ravens still have for a player who has already appeared in 22 games for the club.
For now, the simplest answer is production. Walker’s best single-game mark is just two receptions, and Baltimore needs more than flashes.
He has scored four touchdowns on eight career catches, which is the one stat that keeps him in the conversation. But even that kind of efficiency only goes so far when the bigger sample still looks thin.
If Lane returns, Sarratt starts getting involved and Moore settles in, Walker’s grip on a roster spot could get shaky in a hurry.
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Elijah Sarratt Just Ran Into A Bigger Ravens Problem
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LaJohntay Wester and Chris Moore were the next men up, and Baltimore leaned on their skill sets and experience instead of turning to the rookie. For a team trying to patch together answers at wide receiver, that choice says as much about the current pecking order as it does about Sarratts development, and it leaves the Ravens with a bigger question about when, or if, he can earn a real role. [Read more 🡒]