Rashod Bateman “way more comfortable, way more…

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Coaches often talk about players taking a big jump between their first and second NFL seasons and one of the reasons for that is that players have a better sense of what to expect their second time around.

Ravens wide receiver Rashod Bateman may be a player to watch for that kind of growth in 2022. He missed the first five games of the regular season after a summer groin injury that required surgery and then lost a chance to continue working with quarterback Lamar Jackson when Jackson missed the final five games with an ankle injury.

Bateman caught 46 passes for 515 yards and a touchdown over the course of the year and had been working with Jackson ahead of the start of the team’s offseason program. Bateman told reporters on Wednesday that he’s feeling more at home with the team now that he has a year under his belt.

“I do feel comfortable,” Bateman said, via the team’s website. “The NFL was a big mental step for me. Just being here now I feel way more comfortable, way more relaxed. I know what to expect. I know how to move. I’m just excited for Year 2. I’m excited to be healthy. I’m excited to do the things I know I can do.”

Growth in the passing game has been a Ravens goal for several seasons and a full breakthrough for Bateman would be a big step toward finally making it happen this year.