Tylan

Wallace

Tonight was the first time role-player Wallace ever caught three passes or scored a receiving touchdown. His winding, 84-yard scoring grab in the fourth quarter was a third down dump-off that featured comically inept tackling from the Bengals. A huge play, but not something that will be repeated moving forward.

Duvernay, the Ravens’ primary kick returner, suffered a back injury this month and will miss at least four weeks. The team believes he will return in the postseason. Until then, Tylan Wallace — who had a game-winning punt return touchdown in Week 14 — will take over for Duvernay.

Beckham was added to the injury report on Thursday as a limited participant in practice but got back to a full session on Friday. The Ravens have limited his routes since he returned from the ankle injury he suffered earlier in the year. That will make it hard for Beckham to surpass WR4 status versus the Cardinals. Fellow skill position players Keaton Mitchell and Tylan Wallace were listed as questionable.

The 2021 fourth-round pick is also back at practice as the Ravens now have 21 days to activate him off the IR. Wallace has just six catches on 13 targets in his first two seasons but was a productive receiver at Oklahoma State where he had at least 900 yards and six touchdowns in each of his last three seasons. He could emerge as a solid addition to the Ravens receiving corps but is unlikely to see enough snaps and targets to matter for fantasy purposes.

The diagnosis came straight from coach John Harbaugh in his post-game press conference. Proche has reportedly been in the lead for No. 2 duties opposite Rashod Bateman, which says more about this wideout group than Proche. Harbaugh also said second-year pro Tylan Wallace is dealing with a “minor” knee sprain but might not miss any time. Although neither injury sounds like a long-term concern, it further highlights just how thin and unproven this receiver corps really is. The Ravens probably need to get on the receiver workout circuit.

Coach John Harbaugh said it’s a “minor” sprain for Wallace, but it’s unclear how long he’ll be out. Both Wallace and James Proche are injured, and Proche is expected to miss a couple weeks with his soft-tissue issue. Both are competing for snaps behind Rashod Bateman and even Devin Duvernay.

Jackson did not participate in OTAs this year, although he has stated that his absence was not contract-related. He reported early to training camp and is practicing as normal, even as he enters the final year of his rookie contract. The fifth-year quarterback is taking on risk by playing without a deal in place for 2023 and beyond, but Jackson—who does not have an agent—is clearly willing to bet on himself. Jackson’s participation is great news for the Ravens offense, which is expecting a big jump from Rashod Bateman, and bigger contributions from Devin Duvernay, James Proche, and Tylan Wallace.

Zrebiec said Rashod Bateman will enter the 2022 season as the team’s clearcut No. 1 receiver, with the No. 2 spot up for grabs between Proche, Tylan Wallace, and Devin Duvernay, who caught 33 passes for 272 yards and two touchdowns last season. “I think he’ll get a bigger opportunity this year and it wouldn’t surprise me if he emerges as a reliable target, particularly on third downs, for Jackson,” Zrebiec said. “Proche has really good hands and there’s a toughness and confidence about him that suggests he’s ready to become a bigger contributor.” Proche popped last year in Week 16, catching seven of eight yards for 76 yards in a lopsided loss to Cincinnati. He came into the NFL with a history of production, leading the nation with 111 receptions in his final season at SMU. His 15 touchdown receptions ranked fourth among all college wideouts that season. Proche could be someone to monitor in deeper formats.

Zrebiec is the latest Ravens beat writer to posit that the team -- stung from its failed experiment with a more balanced offense in 2021 -- is gearing up for a return to a massively run-heavy approach in 2022. With Baltimore’s offseason moves, including bolstering its offensive line, trading away its top wideout, and adding running backs and tight ends, “you could easily conclude that general manager Eric DeCosta was trying to replicate the 2019 offensive recipe with his offseason moves.” The Ravens in 2019 were second in offensive yards and first (by a mile) in rushing yards per game, piling up 206 yards per game on the ground. The team’s top three receivers combined for 108 receptions. Mark Andrews, meanwhile, caught 64 of 98 targets in 2019 for 852 yards and ten touchdowns on his way to a TE5 finish in fantasy. Andrews was 26th in tight end pass routes in 2019, a far cry from 2021, when he led all tight ends in routes run. A return to the team’s 2019 offensive approach would, at best, lower Andrews’ fantasy ceiling this season.

The rookie nabbed a late touchdown from Tyler Huntley, who threw four on the day. Wallace has seen extended run in the Ravens’ preseason games, as the team’s starting wide receivers are out with various injuries. The 131st pick in the 2021 draft out of Oklahoma State, Wallace has a chance to see meaningful snaps early in the regular season if Baltimore’s wideouts aren’t healthy in time to face the Raiders in Week 1. Wallace finishes the preseason with five receptions for 63 yards and a touchdown.