Ravens WR Rashod Bateman’s injury is more serious than initially believed

Baltimore Ravens wide receiver Rashod Bateman has been battling a foot injury for the better part of the last month, but all indications were that the second-year wide receiver wasn’t set to miss a significant amount of time with said foot injury.

Unfortunately, that might not be the case now.

Head coach John Harbaugh provided updates on a variety of injuries including Bateman’s following Thursday night’s game, and he indicated that the initial prognosis was that his wide receiver had avoided a major foot injury.

However, Harbaugh shared a different sentiment when speaking to the media on Monday. The Ravens now believe that Bateman’s injury is more serious than they initially thought and that he’s expected to miss “a few weeks.”

What the Ravens initially believed to just be a tweak of a previous injury might end up landing Bateman on the injured reserve for a few weeks. That’s not ideal for a Ravens team already struggling with wide receiver depth.

The Ravens might need to add a wide receiver after the Rashod Bateman injury

Bateman previously missed two games earlier in the year with a foot injury before returning in Week 7. He played again on Thursday night against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers but was on the field for just 13 snaps before being ruled out with the same foot injury.

With Bateman (and Mark Andrews) sidelined, the Ravens leaned on the likes of Demarcus Robinson and Isaiah Likely who both put together their best performances of the season.

Still, if Bateman is, in fact, IR-bound, the Ravens might need to seriously consider adding another wide receiver to their roster. The likes of Robinson, Devin Duvernay, James Proche, and Tylan Wallace aren’t going to get it done for the next month or so.

With 24 hours remaining (at the time of writing) until the trade deadline, general manager Eric DeCosta might have to start working the phones. Truth be told, the Ravens probably should have explored a wide receiver addition before the Bateman injury.

Now, it almost feels like a necessity.

Bateman’s injury is a major blow to a Ravens offense that was able to find its groove on Thursday. Here’s to hoping he doesn’t miss any more than a few weeks.