The Ravens received some bad news about their offense.
Rookie wide receiver Rashod Bateman will undergo groin surgery this week and could potentially miss the start of the regular season, head coach Jim Harbaugh told reporters.
“He’s got a soft tissue leg issue,” Harbaugh said. “That’s going to be weeks. It’ll be a number of weeks. So, I don’t know how many. It’s not going to be months, but it will be weeks and we’ll see where we’re at.”
The 21-year-old – who played college football at the University of Minnesota – was drafted by the Ravens at No. 27 this year. Harbaugh is “hopeful” that his first-round pick will be ready for the Ravens’ Week 1 matchup against the Raiders on Sept. 13.
Bateman injured his right groin Tuesday during a one-on-one drill with cornerback Marcus Peters. The receiver pulled up while running a slant route and fell to the ground before grabbing his leg and limping into the team’s facility.
“Thank you to everyone who reached out concerning my injury,” Bateman said on Instagram. “This is tough with it being the first injury in my career, but I trust that God has a plan for me. The future is bright, and this is just a small bump in the road. My eyes are set on getting right back to help this team. Be back soon.”
Rashod Bateman injured himself at training camp on Thursday. Getty ImagesBateman joins Marquise Brown (hamstring), Miles Boykin (hamstring) and Deon Cain (undisclosed) as injured wideouts on Harbaugh’s squad. Sammy Watkins is currently the only healthy receiver on the team with more than 20 career receptions.
Ravens wide receivers totaled the fewest catches (137), receiving yards (1,729) and first downs (83) in the NFL last season.
