BALTIMORE, MARYLAND – NOVEMBER 07: Marquise Brown #5 of the Baltimore Ravens warms up before the game against the Minnesota Vikings at M&T Bank Stadium on November 07, 2021 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Todd Olszewski/Getty Images)
One day prior to their game against the Chicago Bears, the Baltimore Ravens announced they will be without their top wide receiver.
The Baltimore Ravens are over a week removed from their disappointing loss to the Miami Dolphins on Thursday Night Football. With all of their rivals just one win behind them in the standings, a win over the Chicago Bears this weekend would be huge in helping them create a bit of a cushion. But, that task became much more difficult.
On Saturday, the team announced that top wide receiver Marquise Brown has been ruled out for Sunday’s game due to a thigh injury.
What is the Ravens wide receiver depth chart with Marquise Brown out?
Brown had been dealing with the thigh injury following the loss to Miami. He missed practice on Wednesday and Thursday, but was a limited participant on Friday. But following the Friday practice, the Ravens downgraded their wideout to out for Sunday.
With that, who will step up in Brown’s absence? Well, with Sammy Watkins listed as the No. 1 wideout on their team website, it could mean that rookie first-round pick Rashod Bateman can get an increase in targets from quarterback Lamar Jackson. In the Dolphins game, Bateman caught six-of-eight targets for 80 yards.
Other names that could have increased roles are Devin Duvernay and James Proche II. Baltimore’s wide receivers will face a Bears defense that has surrendered an average of 247.4 receiving yards per game (12th-fewest in NFL).
Through nine games this season, Brown caught 52-of-82 targets for 719 yards and six touchdowns.