The Ravens are heading into training camp with a rare luxury at wide receiver: they don’t have a clear answer for who will line up as the third man in three-receiver sets, and that’s exactly the kind of problem they can live with.
With new offensive coordinator Declan Doyle expected to lean on the wideout group more than Baltimore has at any point since Lamar Jackson became the full-time starter in his second season, the shape of the offense is changing. The Ravens moved on from six-time Pro Bowl fullback Patrick Ricard in the offseason and let tight ends Isaiah Likely and Charlie Kolar leave in free agency, but they still plan to feature the position heavily. They also drafted a pair of rookies in the same class for the fifth time in franchise history, taking two receivers with back-to-back picks in the middle rounds.
That matters because the Ravens are expected to use more 11 personnel, with one running back, one tight end and three wide receivers. In that setup, the No. 3 receiver is basically a starter.
Doyle had a similar setup in the second half of last season with the Chicago Bears, where he served as a non-play-calling offensive coordinator. Bears rookie Luther Burden barely saw the field early, then finished the regular season averaging 53.01% of offensive snaps over his final eight games after not topping 30% in any game through the first seven.
His playoff average climbed to 57.09%.
Baltimore, though, is walking into camp without a settled answer. Zay Flowers and Rashod Bateman are locked in, but the player who joins them is still up for grabs. That uncertainty should make the next month and a half interesting, especially once joint practices and preseason games begin.
For the first time in four years, the Ravens did not add a mid-tier or aging veteran receiver to fill the room. Instead, they’re letting their young in-house options fight for the job without a veteran roadblock in the way.
The biggest beneficiary could be Devontez Walker. The third-year receiver is finally positioned to get a real look with the first-team offense after making the most of limited chances in his first two seasons.
As a rookie in 2024, the former fourth-round pick was targeted only three times in nine regular-season games and caught his lone pass for his first career touchdown, a 21-yard throw from Jackson. Last season, his role grew a bit, and he finished with 6 catches on 8 targets for 136 receiving yards and three touchdowns.
There’s a real path for Walker to turn that into a bigger role. He has the kind of speed that can stretch a defense, and if he gets loose downfield, it can create room underneath and in the intermediate areas too. He ran a 4.36 at the 2024 NFL Scouting Combine and has averaged 22.4 yards per catch in his career.
Baltimore’s two mid-round rookie receivers bring different flavors to the competition. Ja'Kobi Lane, a third-round pick out of USC, and Elijah Sarratt, a fourth-round pick out of Indiana University, both built their college résumés as contested-catch threats who found the end zone often. Each scored multiple touchdowns in every season.
Lane, listed at 6-foot-4 and 200 pounds, gives the Ravens a big-bodied true 'X' receiver look they no longer have after deciding not to bring back five-time Pro Bowl veteran DeAndre Hopkins. His massive hands, wide catch radius and body control help him make difficult grabs, and he should be a real red-zone weapon.
Sarratt is 6-foot-2 and 210 pounds and offers more flexibility, with the Ravens able to move him around the formation. The slot is where he could do the most damage. He scored 44 career touchdowns in college, including an FBS-leading 15 as a senior, and he also brings championship experience after playing a key role on the Sooners' national title-winning team in 2025.
Even if none of the three wins the top spot outright, there’s a strong chance one or more still finds a meaningful role. Either way, this is the kind of receiver battle that can tell you a lot about what the Ravens might be building.
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