SEPTEMBER 15: After receiving additional opinions on his injured wrist, Lane will undergo surgery. The procedure will take place this week, according to CBS Sports’ Matt Zenitz, who points to an absence of around a month. This will likely lead Lane to IR.
The Ravens have used two of their eight injury activations already, giving cornerback Bilhal Kone and running back Adam Randall return designations on cutdown day. Lane figures to be in line for another of those IR-return moves once he’s healthy.
SEPTEMBER 13: Ravens rookie wide receiver Ja’Kobi Lane looked to be one of the surprises of this year’s draft, with projections that he would start his rookie year as WR3 in Baltimore (via ESPN’s Dan Graziano). Unfortunately, the wait to see if Lane will live up to the hype continues as NFL Network’s MIke Garafolo reports that the USC product suffered a fractured wrist in today’s season opener. Garafolo’s NFL Network colleague Ian Rapoport added that Lane is expected to miss several weeks.
A third-round pick, Lane is obviously expected to become a contributor in the NFL, but the hype coming out of Baltimore has built up significant anticipation for Ravens fans that they might have drafted a major weapon for quarterback Lamar Jackson. They were even teased a bit before Lane’s departure. Early in the second quarter, Lane received what would’ve been his first NFL touchdown, but the score was nullified when first-time starting center Jovaughn Gwyn was called for holding. The bigger picture tease will now see any payoff from drafting Lane delayed several weeks.
What’s more, things remain open ended for now. While Rapoport speculates that we won’t see Lane again for weeks, the Ravens are still looking for more information. The 22-year-old will undergo an MRI tomorrow in order to determine the full extent of his injuries, per Garafolo. More information could have both possible effects on the projected timeline, though, so Monday’s scans will be crucial to determine next steps.
Lane’s absence adds to a compounding issue for Baltimore at the moment. Coming into Week 1, the Ravens rostered six wide receivers on their 53-man roster. This includes LaJohntay Wester, a sixth-round pick out of Colorado last year who didn’t record a single reception as he was mostly used as a return man his rookie year, and Elijah Sarratt, a fourth-round rookie out of Indiana who appeared to be a healthy scratch in today’s season opener. The group is headlined by the newly extended Zay Flowers and includes Rashod Bateman, Devontez Walker, and Lane behind him.
Bateman seemed to break out in 2024 with career highs in receiving yards (756) and touchdowns (9), but he regressed in a big way last year with only 224 yards and two touchdowns. Not to mention, Bateman may still, at some point, receive news of a punishment for his arrest this summer. Each year, the team seems to be expecting a bit more out of the 2024 draft pick, Walker, but through two years, he only has seven receptions to his name, though four of those have come in the end zone. Walker was ruled out of this week’s game after being limited all week at practice with a groin injury.
Flowers was also limited for a portion of the week as his hamstring bothered him. He looked to be earning his new paycheck early today, tallying 150 yards and a touchdown on five catches in the first half alone, but he sat out the second half of the game as he seemed to aggravate the hamstring issue. With Flowers and Lane out, the Ravens had to turn to Wester and Chris Moore with bigger roles on the offense. Moore, a veteran on the practice squad, was called up as a gameday elevation over Sarratt seemingly due to his abilities as a kick returner.
Going into their home opener next week, it appears likely the receiving corps will be without Lane, so all eyes will be on Flowers and Walker’s entries on the injury reports. If both players can’t get healthy, Baltimore may have to continue relying on special teamers or put Sarratt to the test. After injuries on defense gave the Ravens fits for much of last year, the health of the offense is threatening to be an issue early into this season.
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