OWINGS MILLS, Md. — The last time we saw Zay Flowers on a football field, the Ravens wide receiver suffered a Week 18 knee injury that would sideline him for Baltimore’s postseason run that ended in the divisional round a couple weeks later.
We’ll never know what difference the shifty 24-year-old might have made in that excruciating 27-25 loss to Buffalo, but Flowers deemed himself “ready to go” and his right knee “100%” at the start of the second week of voluntary organized team activities. After a breakout 1,000-yard season that resulted in Flowers becoming the first wide receiver in franchise history to be named to the Pro Bowl, he’s aiming to take his game to the next level and help his team get to the Super Bowl.
So, what’s different for the former first-round pick as he prepares for his third NFL season?
“More experience. I’m more into the game. I’m more [into] learning football,” said Flowers, who made 74 receptions for 1,059 yards and four touchdowns in 17 games last season. “I’ve learned football a lot more than I did my rookie year, and I’ve just gotten a lot more experience on the field and understanding.”
Flowers should learn even more playing with five-time Pro Bowl wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins, whom he described as “easy to just follow” and a great influence for a young wide receiver group. Hopkins no longer needs to be the top receiver entering his age-33 season, but he should serve as an upgrade complementing Flowers and No. 2 wideout Rashod Bateman.
And while the 5-foot-9, 175-pound Flowers acknowledged wanting to become more of a vertical threat in a way similar to how Bateman did last season, offensive coordinator Todd Monken said the next step for Flowers is as simple as needing to get him the ball more often. Of course, that’s easier said than done with Baltimore having so many playmakers capable of making an impact on the ground or through the air.
“He’s an unbelievable football player,” Monken said. “He’s not only an outside receiver that has elite route-running skills, but he’s unbelievable with the ball in his hands. You have a guy that fits two positions and really plays two spots. … You can use him in a variety of roles to get him the ball, which allows your volume to go up. He’s a volume catch guy.”
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After catching 151 passes on 224 targets over his first two seasons, we’ll see how much higher that volume can go for Flowers.
Salary cap, roster come into post-June 1 focus
Monday marked a notable day in the offseason with the Ravens officially gaining about $10 million in salary cap space from the post-June 1 releases of Justin Tucker and Marcus Williams and the placement of Michael Pierce on the reserve-retired list.
As head coach John Harbaugh stated last week, Pierce’s retirement becoming official opened a roster spot for veteran nose tackle John Jenkins, who officially signed his contract Monday. The 35-year-old was taking part in Tuesday’s OTA and is expected to help fill the run-stopping void left behind by Pierce.
According to OverTheCap.com, the Ravens now have just under $19 million in cap space, which should provide the flexibility to sign a veteran safety and perhaps even a veteran edge rusher between now and the start of the 2025 season.
Tuesday’s OTA attendance
After the attendance at last week’s voluntary OTA open to media was widely praised, the Ravens were without a number of standout players Tuesday, a list including two-time MVP quarterback Lamar Jackson as well as 2024 Pro Bowl selections Kyle Hamilton, Nnamdi Madubuike, Ronnie Stanley, and Kyle Van Noy.
8Jackson’s absence didn’t seem to phase Monken since the two-time MVP skipped several OTA workouts last spring and went on to have arguably the best season of his career. Veteran newcomer and No. 2 quarterback Cooper Rush took the first-team reps with Jackson not on the field.
“I always feel good about Lamar. He always comes in ready,” Monken said. “I’ve never felt like when we’ve started camp or whenever he’s been here that he’s not ready. He loves to play football. He loves his teammates. He loves the Ravens. I’ve never felt that way — one way or the other — about his preparation. He’ll be ready to go, and we’ll be ready to go.”
