The Baltimore Ravens walked away with the AFC North title last season with a 12-5 record. The Pittsburgh Steelers were second in the division at 10-7, but proved to be a mitigated disaster by the end of the season and finished with a four-game losing streak before bowing out of the playoffs in the Wild Card Round with a 28-14 loss to Baltimore.
Quarterback Lamar Jackson and the Ravens are expected to be contenders once again in the AFC North and one of the favorites to represent their conference in the Super Bowl.
The offense has been re-tooled, beginning last season when star running back Derrick Henry signed as a free agent and became an important asset to the offense. Combine that with the arrival of former Boston College Zay Flowers, who the Ravens selected with the 22nd overall pick in the first round of the 2023 NFL Draft, and his subsequent emergence as a weapon for Jackson and offensive coordinator Todd Monken, and someone down the depth chart could be expendable.
That player could be 2021 first-round wideout Rashod Bateman.
Bateman was supposed to evolve into Jackson's No. 1 target, but injuries and the production of tight ends Mark Andrews and Isaiah Likely have limited Bateman's role in the offense.
Bateman bounced back in 2024 with 756 yards on 45 catches and nine touchdowns, making him a possible appealing candidate for a trade. And that's what one writer at LWOS believes he is. ...
Trade bait for the Washington Commanders.
"Meanwhile, the Commanders are still rebuilding as well, even though they’re in a good place since they went to the NFC Championship Game last year," LWOS wrote. "Terry McLaurin and Deebo Samuel are the two lockdown wide receivers for Jayden Daniels’ offense, but the third spot is still up for grabs despite signing Michael Gallup and bringing back Noah Brown. While Luke McCaffrey could break out, nobody should count on the Commanders being aggressive during the 2025 season and getting Bateman."
We're a bit confused here. The site is proposing the idea ... and shutting it down?