The Ravens had a real need at wide receiver in Week 2 against the New Orleans Saints, but Elijah Sarratt still never got onto the field.
Baltimore was without Zay Flowers and Ja'Kobi Lane on Sunday, and the offense still sputtered badly in the second half of a 24-17 loss. Even with that opening, the fourth-round pick didn’t take a single snap. It followed a Week 1 inactive, which says plenty about where the Ravens stand with him right now.
Instead, Baltimore leaned on LaJohntay Wester and Chris Moore for more than half of the snaps. That choice is hard to ignore, especially because Wester is also a young, unproven player and Moore began the season on the practice squad. It raises a simple question: if Sarratt couldn’t get even a small slice of the workload over those two, what exactly would it take?
At the same time, this wasn’t a random decision. The coaching staff knows Sarratt better than anyone, and the fact that they’ve kept him out suggests they believe he still has work to do. Moore did play well in Week 1, and Wester’s skill set lines up more closely with Flowers’, so Baltimore’s approach wasn’t without logic.
Still, the bigger takeaway is tough to miss: if Sarratt couldn’t crack the rotation with Flowers and Lane out, his path to meaningful playing time looks narrow. A steady role doesn’t seem to be on the table, and the Ravens’ preference for multi-tight-end packages only makes that road steeper.
There was plenty of buzz around Sarratt early in the offseason. That momentum cooled once Lane started turning heads in training camp, but Sarratt had been the standout in minicamp. At that point, it wasn’t hard to imagine him carving out a niche as a bigger target who could win contested catches and finish drives with touchdowns.
That picture looks a lot less certain now. His Week 2 absence is a clear signal to slow down any rookie expectations.
None of this means Sarratt should be written off. Long term, his skill set could still fit well next to Lamar Jackson and in Declan Doyle's high-powered offense, assuming he sticks around. If Flowers remains sidelined, there may still be a chance for Sarratt to earn a few snaps, and given how the passing game looked in Sunday’s loss, that would at least be worth watching.
But for now, the message is plain. Sarratt is still developing, and despite the Ravens’ need, he’s nowhere near a meaningful role.
In Other News...
Malaki Starks Is Giving Ravens A Defensive Problem They Can't Ignore
Malaki Starks first few games of the 2026 season have put the Ravens in an uncomfortable spot. The second-year safety has been on the field for every snap, but the returns have been rough, with coverage issues and missed tackles showing up in a recent game against the New Orleans Saints and his work drawing a very low PFF grade.
For Baltimore, the problem is bigger than one shaky outing. A player trusted that heavily is hard to simply bench, yet the Ravens have to decide whether to keep riding with Starks in the same role or start adjusting the defense around him. How they handle that balance could shape both the short-term stability of the secondary and Starks long-term development. [Read more 🡒]
Ravens Already Have A Passing Depth Concern Behind Mark Andrews
Mark Andrews did his part in Week 2, catching six passes for 49 yards, but the bigger question for the Ravens came after him. Baltimore is leaning on a pair of rookie tight ends, Matthew Hibner and Josh Cuevas, to help replace the passing-game work once handled by Isaiah Likely and Charlie Kolar, and the early returns were quiet. Neither rookie saw a target or recorded a catch, which left the offense with far less receiving punch at the position than it had in the recent past.
Late-round rookies usually need time, and the Ravens are not expecting immediate volume from every reserve tight end. Still, the drop-off is hard to ignore when the passing attack is trying to stay balanced and Andrews cannot carry the load alone. Baltimore will need more than just roster depth from Hibner and Cuevas if it wants the position to remain a reliable part of the game plan. [Read more 🡒]
Trenton Simpson Just Created A Ravens Linebacker Problem
Trenton Simpsons Week 2 showing gave the Ravens a much-needed boost at linebacker and a little more to think about, too. After looking sharper and more decisive, Simpson drew praise from defensive coordinator Jesse Minter, finished with six tackles and a tackle for loss, and flashed as a pass rusher in a game where Baltimore needed answers from its defense.
The performance mattered because it may have changed the conversation around the spot he occupies. With Teddye Buchanan working his way back from injury, the Ravens suddenly have a decision to make about how to handle the position when everyone is available, and Simpsons recent play has made that choice less straightforward than it looked a week ago. [Read more 🡒]