Baltimore Ravens rookie Rashod Bateman will have surgery for a “soft tissue” groin injury he sustained at practice on Tuesday.
It’s the latest partially good news for the rookie, despite his injury being a huge blow to the Ravens’ passing offense.
Coach John Harbaugh told reporters that Bateman will undergo an operation on his groin either on Thursday or Friday, adding, “He’ll be back sometime in September. I think that’s pretty good news.”
It could be worse. The “good news” is that Bateman won’t spend the entire season rehabbing his injury, and this surgery is better done sooner rather than later.
But to Ravens fans, the news is deflating given the promise and talent Bateman displayed in the past few weeks of training camp.
Just when Lamar Jackson returned from his Covid-19 absence, the Ravens were hoping to see sparks fly between Jackson, Bateman, and new signing Sammy Watkins, but Baltimore will have to wait until September before pairing the potential No. 1 and No. 2 wide receivers on the field.
Bateman suffered the groin injury in a one-on-one drill on Tuesday. Matched up against corner Marcus Peters, Bateman made a cut while running a slant route and then fell down without making any contact with Peters. He ultimately limped off the field to the locker room.
Ravens wide receiver Rashod Bateman will have groin surgery and be back in September
Amid the talk and drama, Bateman believes this injury is just “a small bump in the road” and is keeping his head up.
Rashod Bateman: “Be back soon.” (via IG) pic.twitter.com/BIyQghJEND
— Jonas Shaffer (@jonas_shaffer) August 11, 2021
A positive mentality will be important for Bateman’s recovery, as will Bateman’s maintained confidence in his abilities and chemistry with his teammates.
It’s Bateman’s first injury, and if he’s as quick to recover as he is to learn, there’s no reason he won’t bounce back and enjoy a productive rookie season.
The rookie joins a mildly banged-up wide receiver room of Marquise Brown, Miles Boykin, and Deon Cain, who have all missed practice time due to injury. Bateman’s prognosis is definitely more optimistic than Brown’s, when Harbaugh vaguely said that Brown would be “out until he’s back.”
No one wants to see their first-round pick sitting on the bench, but at least there’s a clear timeframe for Bateman’s return.
In the meantime, Baltimore will be shuffling the pieces in their receiver depth chart as they develop a Bateman-less gameplan in the preseason.