The Baltimore Ravens have had a lot of moving parts this season, but they believe they are going to be a better team. Having Lamar Jackson at the helm of this offense is always huge, but who his go-to option will be in the receiver room behind Zay Flowers is a question.
ESPN's Mike Clay, Aaron Schatz, and Seth Walder released an article discussing a range of topics around all 32 teams. Regarding Baltimore, Walder listed Devontez Walker, Ja'Kobi Lane, and Elijah Sarratt as the biggest X-factors for this team.
"It's hard to get too excited about the receivers room behind Zay Flowers (Rashod Bateman is the team's No. 2 WR on paper). But if Baltimore could get a breakout from one of these three -- the latter two are rookies -- it would go a long way toward rounding out the offense beyond Lamar Jackson."
Entering the 2026 season, this is an area that fans have questions about, and it's been like that throughout the offseason. While they have an MVP in Jackson, who the WR2 is on this team is a massive talking point.
The Ravens' biggest 2026 uncertainty is exactly what fans feared
The Ravens are confident in what Flowers brings to the table. He and Jackson have a great relationship, and the franchise quarterback has made it clear he wants him around long-term.
Despite that, the Ravens will need someone else to step up in the receiver room, but there's no clear-cut answer on who that will be, which looms around this offense. Walker has been with the Ravens for two years, but he hasn't been a consistent option in the passing attack. In 21 games (three starts), he has seven grabs for 157 receiving yards and four touchdowns.
That isn't enough production to give fans confidence. Meanwhile, Surratt and Lane are two rookies who will be asked to make a difference.
And these two receivers have very different skill sets. Surratt is more of a possession receiver who can play inside/out. He's a smooth route runner who can make contested catches on all three levels. Sarratt logged 200 receptions for 2,978 receiving yards and 31 touchdowns in his last three seasons with James Madison and Indiana, including a whopping 15 receiving scores in 2025.
As for Lane, he's a bit of a versatile deep threat, standing at 6-foot-4. Lane is a lengthy linear weapon who should be able to stretch the field catch radius. He did a lot of his best work in the red zone, securing nine receiving touchdowns in the red area, but has also done work over the middle of the field in Baltimore's offseason program. Over 30 games with the Trojans, Lane had 99 catches for 1,363 receiving yards and 18 touchdowns.
Even though they are rookies, there's a pathway for them to have a serious role within this offense, but that's always risky. Leaning on rookies to be serious contributors can go two ways. They either step in and make a difference, or they can't do that right away as they get used to the NFL.
Fans knew this offense needed another true WR2 added to the rotation, but they didn't get a clear answer. Instead, they have to enter training camp with hopes that one of these players steps up. And after the 2025 season ended, they knew this was a problem and weren't able to get a concrete answer. That just creates the path for this being a story to watch all summer and season.
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