Ultrafast laser processing has emerged as a powerful non-equilibrium approach to induce broadband optical absorption and hyperdoping in semiconductors. While this technique has been extensively explored in silicon, we investigate its applicability to germanium (Ge) to unlock its potential for infrared optoelectronic devices. In our recent work, we demonstrate that femtosecond (fs) laser irradiation can induce significant tensile strain in Ge, driving the material toward a direct bandgap transition at approximately 0.78 eV. With optimized parameters, the laser process simultaneously produces surface microstructures that act as antireflection features, enabling exceptionally high above-bandgap absorptance up to 95%. In the sub-bandgap regime (1800–2500 nm), we observe absorption exceeding 70%. However, this sub-bandgap absorption primarily arises from laser-induced defects and microstructural scattering, rendering it unsuitable for active optoelectronic applications. To address this limitation, we focus on enhancing sub-bandgap absorption through dopant incorporation, comparing laser-processed doped and undoped Ge. In a representative case, titanium (Ti) film is deposited on Ge as a dopant precursor, followed by fs laser irradiation, surface cleaning, and rapid thermal annealing. Non-coated Ge samples serve as a reference. Despite successful microstructure formation, absorption enhancements below the bandgap remain modest (<3%) and dopant incorporation is limited. Spectroscopic analysis suggests that Ti predominantly segregates into surface particulates removed during cleaning and exhibits amphoteric behavior depending on the substrate type (p- or n-type). These observations reveal a key challenge in translating fs-laser hyperdoping strategies from Si to Ge and emphasize the need for alternative doping pathways tailored specifically to germanium’s material properties.