Team news: Baltimore Ravens | Page 26

According to Adam Schefter on Twitter, the Baltimore Ravens have placed promising rookie receiver Rashod Bateman on short-term I.R.

The Baltimore Ravens new-look receiving corps took another hit, with Rashod Bateman joining Miles Boykin on short-term injured reserve. Both players will be eligible to return as early as Week 4. There were some hopes that Bateman would earn the role of Lamar Jackson's top wide receiver target this season, but the I.R. stint may all but torpedo those plans. Bateman is still a talented receiver who is expected to have a big role down the stretch, but the missed time for the rookie will severely hamper his projected development curve. Unless your league has multiple I.R. spots, Bateman is someone to add to your watch list rather than stash at the end of your draft.

Ravens WR Miles Boykin is headed to short-term IR due to a hamstring injury according to Jeremy Fowler of ESPN. Fowler also mentioned fellow WR Rashod Bateman could land in the same situation because of his groin injury.

The injuries to Bateman and Boykin take from the Ravens' wide receiver depth on a team already thin with proven talent at the position. Marquise Brown, Devin Duvernay, and James Proche are among the healthy wideouts for Baltimore with 11 days to go before their Week 1 game.

Ravens OC Greg Roman acknowledges what was obvious after J.K. Dobbins’ injury: Gus Edwards will get a much bigger workload. “He’s our kind of guy. He’s built for what we do.”

Related players: Justice Hill vs Ty'Son Williams

While it's not shocking news, it's still nice to hear for Edwards owners. The one knock on Edwards is his pass-catching, but as we've pointed out it's not that he can't catch the ball, he just hasn't been asked to. He's caught 18-of-22 career targets for almost 11 yards per catch. Getting Edwards more involved in the pass catching game will certainly elevate his fantasy value. Without proven backups in Williams and Hill, it's certainly possible Edwards sees some targets.

Titans have waived running back Javian Hawkins, per source.

Related players: Derrick Henry, Brian Hill, Darrynton Evans

Hawkins looked to be the team's fourth running back but was likely battling Hill for the RB3 role. It could be a bit of good news for Evans, who was talked about as a back who could see a much bigger role this season. But Evans got hurt in a preseason game and has missed time. If anything, this could at least mean Evans is on the mend and poised to see an RB2 role on the Titans. He's expected to be involved in the passing game.

Four days before his potential preseason debut, nearly three weeks before the Ravens’ regular-season opener, Lamar Jackson was locked in. His passing was accurate. His timing was on. His mood was upbeat. Only a handful of presnap penalties on the Ravens’ offensive line and skill position players had soured coach John Harbaugh’s mood.

Related players: Marquise Brown, Miles Boykin, Deon Cain, Sammy Watkins, Rashod Batemon, James Proche II, Devin Duvernay, Tylan Wallace

The story went on to say now Jackson has to find people to throw to. Brown (hamstring), Boykin (hamstring) and Cain continued to rehabilitate from early-camp injuries. Watkins missed his third straight practice. Bateman (groin) remains out until at least September. Proche II sat out his first practice of camp after appearing to tweak his back Monday. That left just two draft picks at the position available — Duvernay (20 catches as a rookie) and Wallace, a rookie this season.

With the season opener now less than 21 days away, Derrick Henry is ramping up his work.

The Titans running back participated in team drills Monday for the first time in training camp, Ben Arthur of The Tennessean reports.

Previously in training camp, Henry took part only in individual drills and occasional sandpit work. He had become more involved in walk-through sessions recently, the story said.

Baltimore Ravens backup quarterback Trace McSorley will miss the rest of the preseason with a back injury.

With McSorley sidelined, Tyler Huntley is now the frontrunner to become the backup quarterback to Lamar Jackson.

McSorley injured his back picking up a box on Saturday, just hours before the Ravens' preseason opener. He played with back spasms, completing 11-of-18 passes for 86 yards and one interception.

Ravens WR Sammy Watkins left the practice field early with a trainer.

Related players: Marquise Brown, Rashod Bateman

There wasn't any more specific news on Watkins, but perhaps most important thing to note is the Ravens were without their top-three WRs for the last hour of practice, and perhaps longer if the injuries linger. Brown (hamstring) and Bateman (groin) are also sidelined.

Titans RB Darrynton Evans started in place of Derrick Henry in their first preseason game against the Atlanta Falcons. On his fourth carry he pulled up on and outside run and didn't return per a clip from Josh Norris of Underdog Fantasy.

Darrynton Evans missed 10 games his rookie season with a strained hamstring and while the reports have said knee the video shows "either a hamstring or (less likely) proximal calf” [credit @DrJesseMorse]. Tennessee holds Brian Hill, Jeremy McNichols and Mekhi Sargent behind Henry and Evans, this will be a backfield situation to monitor going forward.

According to Jeff Zrebiec on Twitter, Baltimore Ravens rookie wide receiver Rashod Bateman will require surgery for his injured groin and will be sidelined 'until some point in September'.

This is a tough blow for the promising rookie wide receiver. 38th in our wide receiver rankings before the news, Bateman will see both his ranking and ADP take a tumble. There is no definitive timeline for his return available. Zrebiec speculated that the Ravens might choose to place him on designated to return I.R., which would keep him sidelined until at least Week 4. Bateman was expected to compete for a significant role in a Ravens passing attack that was expected to open up the playbook. Marquise Brown and Sammy Watkins are now locked in the top two receiver roles when healthy, but this also means that Tylan Wallace, Devin Duvernay, and perhaps James Proche have an opportunity to open the season as the third wide receiver.