OWINGS MILLS, Md. — Days after becoming one of the NFL’s highest-paid wide receivers, Zay Flowers suffered an injury scare that left the Ravens holding their breath midway through Saturday’s practice.
Fortunately, the two-time Pro Bowl selection avoided a major injury after colliding with safety Jaylinn Hawkins during a 7-on-7 drill. Though in obvious discomfort for several minutes before eventually limping off the practice field and walking gingerly to the team’s indoor facility with head certified athletic trainer Adrian Dixon, Flowers is considered “day to day” with only a left thigh contusion, according to head coach Jesse Minter. The Ravens were not practicing in full pads on Saturday.
With the season opener still more than a month away, Baltimore will obviously be cautious with Flowers, who officially signed a four-year, $140 million contract extension that runs through 2031 on Wednesday. The 25-year-old has emerged as one of the most indispensable players on the roster since becoming the first homegrown wide receiver in franchise history to make the Pro Bowl two years ago.
“You certainly don’t like to see that, don’t want to see that,” said Minter about Flowers being down on the ground and holding his left leg. “You kind of obviously hope for the best. That’s the reality of it. There’s stuff that happens sometimes [with] contact and non-contact with guys bumping into each other. We try to avoid that as much as we can, especially when we are not in pads. But thankfully, I think he’ll be OK in the long term.”
The silver lining to the minor injury is the opportunity it provides new offensive coordinator Declan Doyle to see how the passing game fuctions without Flowers. With or without their No. 1 receiver on the field, the Ravens are increasingly optimistic about the role rookie third-round pick Ja’Kobi Lane might play as he continues to earn the trust of two-time NFL MVP quarterback Lamar Jackson.
Just a few minutes after Flowers went down in Saturday’s practice, Lane made his latest highlight catch that’s become a near-daily occurrence through the first two weeks of training camp. This one earned an ovation from fans in attendance as well as an enthusiastic greeting from five-time Pro Bowl running back Derrick Henry.
“Lamar and I talked about this early on — just keep throwing him the ball. Let’s figure it out,” said Minter about the 6-foot-4, 205-pound Lane. “Let’s throw him the ball in traffic, throw him the ball when he’s covered at times just to see. I think every time he makes a play, that trust grows. I think he’s starting to really see it. Again, it’s still pretty early, but when you do it the amount of times he’s done it now, there is a little bit of consistency there.”
