The Baltimore Ravens are the most high-powered offense in the NFL heading into 2025. From top to bottom, the team has plenty of stars to utilize on each down of every possession. It’s impossible to stop the Ravens on any given Sunday.
With so much talent on both sides of the football, it’s easy for some players to get lost in the mist. On offense, Lamar Jackson, Derrick Henry, and Zay Flowers make it difficult for others to earn their flowers and have their moment in the spotlight, especially for Rashod Bateman.
NFL.com's Tom Blair highlighted every team’s most underappreciated player, and Bateman made the list for Baltimore. Ravens fans know the impact Bateman has on Todd Monken’s offense. He does all the little things right and comes up clutch when it matters most. Unfortunately, the 25-year-old doesn’t always get the credit he deserves, which needs to change in 2025.
Rashod Bateman is officially ready for his moment
The Ravens are spoiled on offense. Jackson and Henry had two of their best seasons to date, and Flowers broke 1,000 yards receiving for the first time in his career. Baltimore also loves to feed the tight ends Mark Andrews and Isaiah Likely, giving little opportunity to the other contributors on offense. Bateman made the most of it, though.
In his first few seasons, Bateman was underwhelming while being hampered by injuries. However, he unlocked his potential in Baltimore's 2025 campaign. He was finally 100 percent and found his role in year two of Monken’s offense. He put up career highs in yards and touchdowns, totaling 756 yards and catching nine touchdowns.
Those numbers are easy to overlook. For those who don’t watch the Ravens religiously or analyze the game, Bateman’s 2025 season looks decent on paper but nothing special. Digging deeper into the film, football fans can see he was not just one of the Ravens’ most underrated players but one of the most underrated in the NFL.
Beyond the yards, the former first-round pick’s impact and role in Baltimore is crucial. He’s a field stretcher who can win deep, allowing Jackson to show off his arm talent. Bateman was also a key chain mover, earning 35 first downs in 2024. He was no stranger to the big moment either, coming up with clutch plays when the chance presented itself, acting as one of Jackson’s favorite red zone targets in the team’s league-leading season on offense.
2025 should be another exceptional season for Bateman and possibly even better than 2024. He’s one of the craftier route runners in the league, usually finding ways open. However, being the second, sometimes even third, or fourth option in the passing attack kept him from putting up eye-popping numbers. By proving himself as a key piece in 2024, the Minnesota product should build on those numbers with a big 2025 season.