Elijah Sarratt may be the Ravens’ “other” rookie wide receiver for the moment, but he’s putting together a start that fits the job description just fine.
With no preseason game yet and only a handful of padded practices in the books, the Baltimore native hasn’t generated the same buzz as fellow rookie Ja’Kobi Lane. He hasn’t produced the kind of viral catches that can take on a life of their own, and he hasn’t turned his early camp into a headline factory. What he has done is handle the opening stretch of his NFL career without setbacks, drama or the kind of soft-tissue trouble that can derail a camp before it really starts.
That matters, especially at a position where the Ravens’ track record of spotting and developing college talent has been shaky enough to make everyone cautious. Their history with first- and second-year receivers creating a stir early in OTAs or camp has often led to false alarms.
Sarratt, a fourth-round pick, and Lane, their third-round pick, don’t look like that kind of flash-in-the-pan group. Still, it’s too early to turn either into a finished product in the imagination.
Sarratt isn’t trying to force the issue. He’s focused on the daily grind and the smaller wins that come with it.
"Just know every day's not going to be perfect,” Sarratt explained. “You're going to have ups and downs, but just continue to find those little ways to get better.
You need to be coachable. Number one, you have to be coachable.
“Like I said, there are so many great people in this NFL - defense, offense - and playing against a great defense every single day. So just listening to everybody, trying to earn people's trust and just continue to get better - stack days.”
That mindset is exactly what the Ravens want to see as they head into the weekend, when the rookies should finally get a real live test. The game against the Eagles should bring plenty of snaps for the young receivers, and the quality of the quarterback play will matter a lot.
Skylar Thompson, the veteran back-up and third-string QB, is dealing with what head coach Jesse Minter called a minor injury, but there’s hope he can suit up behind presumptive exhibition starter Snoop Huntley. If Thompson plays, that gives the receivers a better chance to show what they can actually do, since shaky quarterback work can make evaluation nearly impossible.
The Eagles are no soft landing spot. Their secondary ranks among the NFL’s best, and even if their top players don’t see much action and Vic Fangio isn’t installing a regular-season game plan, the roster still offers a real challenge. For rookies trying to carve out roles, that’s the kind of stage where separation starts to happen.
Receivers coach Keary Colbert said the group is made up of players who want to do more than just catch passes. Besides Zay Flowers, who won’t play Saturday and is nursing an injury, and Rashod Bateman, there isn’t much NFL experience in the room. But Colbert likes the way the group is approaching the work.
“We have a great group of guys that are invested in being complete receivers,” receivers coach Keary Colbert said of a group that lacks much NFL experience besides Zay Flowers (who won’t play Saturday and is nursing an injury himself) and Rashod Bateman. “And doing whatever it takes to help the offense and help the team. So, I'm excited to watch the guys compete, to block, to catch, to run, to play special teams [and] to do whatever we can to help this organization win.”
Sarratt arrived at Indiana as a playmaker and chain mover, and he was a trusted target for quarterback Fernando Mendoza, whom the Raiders drafted first-overall. None of that guarantees anything now.
The St. Francis product knows he has to climb the depth chart the hard way, beginning with whatever chances come his way Saturday night.
The traits that drew the Ravens to him are still the ones that could matter most. At 6-2, he gives them size, and along with Lane’s 6-4 frame, that gives the offense some bigger targets to work with. Rookie coordinator Declan Doyle, borrowing heavily from Sean Payton, has tight end concepts in mind for those types of players, and that could open a lane for both rookies.
For Sarratt, the assignment is simple enough to say and hard enough to execute: win in traffic, make contested catches, and stay ready when Lamar Jackson looks his way.
“Windows are a little tighter, so I have to make contested catches,” Sarratt said. “Like, even when someone's on you, you have to have the mentality that you're open still.
Yes, windows are a little tighter, like I said, people are a little faster, but football's football. I've been feeling confident going out there.
I've been learning from the best, so just keep stacking days."
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