The Ravens may be on the verge of getting a badly needed jolt in the passing game, and rookie wideout Ja’Kobi Lane could be the piece that changes the look of this offense.
Baltimore has leaned hard on Zay Flowers all season, and that burden has only grown heavier. With Snoop Huntley in for Lamar Jackson last week and the offensive line still being shuffled because of injuries and inconsistency, Flowers has been asked to do plenty beyond his normal receiving role. The Ravens need another dependable pass-game option, and Lane is now eligible to come off Injured Reserve after completing the four-week minimum absence.
Lane’s wrist surgery kept him off the field, but it did not stop him from doing cardio and working to maintain his conditioning. The question now is whether he needs more than one week of practice before he can be cleared.
He barely got a taste of the season before the injury hit. Lane played just one half in Week 1 at the Colts, cutting short the momentum he built over the summer with a strong training camp and preseason.
“Ja'Kobi has done a really good job,” Minter said. “I would say sometimes, when you are going through an injury and you are on IR, how much can you do physically to be ready to play, to your point, that first week back?
“I think he is in a really good place from a conditioning standpoint, from what he has been able to do with the training room and the rehab standpoint. So, we will see how that shakes out on Wednesday.”
What makes Lane especially interesting is where he can line up. In the preseason, he did a lot of his damage from the slot, working crossers and attacking the middle of the field. At 6-4, he gives Baltimore a different kind of target there - one with a bigger frame and a wider catch radius than Flowers, who brings the shiftiness and quickness.
That matters even more when the field shrinks near the goal line. A year ago, red-zone passing was a problem for Baltimore, as the team finished 27th in that category. This season, Jackson has been much better in that area, and he and Huntley have already spread red-zone touchdown passes to six different receivers, one apiece.
Lane’s size and movement skills give the Ravens another way to attack that part of the field. He is slithery, he can leave his feet to make plays, and his profile fits the kind of work Jackson has done in the past with former move tight end Isaiah Likely.
Right now, there just isn’t much behind Flowers in terms of players creating real damage after the catch. Flowers leads the team with 182 yards after the catch, while Derrick Henry is second with 97 despite rarely being targeted. Rashod Bateman is next among receivers with only 52 yards after the catch in five games.
Lane, along with fellow rookie Matthew Hibner, gives Baltimore its best chance to start closing that gap. Even if his role is limited at first as he works his way back into the offense, he gives the Ravens something they have been missing: a big-bodied target who can separate, win in the slot, and add a different layer to the passing game. Jackson has always liked throwing to bigger targets, and Lane has the kind of traits that can help this offense function more smoothly no matter who is at quarterback on Sunday at Cleveland.
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