The Baltimore Ravens had a minor scare at Saturday’s training camp practice when star wide receiver Zay Flowers – who just signed a four-year, $140 million contract extension – went down in a collision with safety Jaylinn Hawkins.
Flowers got up initially then went back down to the ground to stretch out his left leg before limping off the field and eventually inside the facility, per Baltimore Beatdown’s Kevin McNelis. Head coach Jesse Minter said after practice that Flowers is “day-to-day” with a quad contusion and will likely miss some practice time.
Flowers, 25, became the NFL’s fourth-highest-paid wide receiver this week with a $35MM APY deal that will keep him in Baltimore through the 2031 season. He has been the focal point of the Ravens’ passing game over the last two seasons, averaging 6.9 targets, 4.7 receptions, and 66.8 yards per game in back-to-back Pro Bowl campaigns. His absence will lead to an uptick in opportunities for the rest of the team’s receiving corps, particularly 2024 fourth-round pick Devontez Walker and rookies Ja’Kobi Lane and Elijah Sarratt, who are looking to carve out roles in offensive coordinator Declan Doyle’s new scheme. Lane had another highlight-filled practice on Saturday, beating Nate Wiggins on a go route in 1-on-1 work and reeling in a back shoulder pass from Lamar Jackson in 7-on-7’s with one hand despite tight coverage from Keyon Martin.
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“It’s a great opportunity for other guys to step into those roles, different guys to run some of the routes that Zay’s great at,” Minter added. “But I don’t expect it to be too long.”
Doyle is also expected to expand Rashod Bateman’s role after primarily serving as a deep threat thus far in his career. With Flowers sidelined, the veteran wideout could step into the Ravens’ WR1 spot with a much more varied deployment in terms of alignments, motion, and route concepts. Bateman said this week that he feels re-energized by Doyle’s system and his place in it, which includes much more work out of the slot.
“I’m moving around all over the place,” Bateman told reporters on Thursday. “I feel like in the past I’ve been kind of a one-dimensional receiver.” But Doyle, he believes, recognizes his talent and is giving him more opportunities to show it on the field, which he called a “blessing.”
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The Ravens will certainly monitor Flowers very closely over the next week. Under John Harbaugh, starters like him rarely played in the preseason. While Minter has yet to announce any preseason start/sit decisions, Flowers is extremely unlikely to play in next weekend’s matchup against the Eagles.
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