Ravens' Zay Flowers New Focal Point of Offense Amid WR Free Agency Questions?
Baltimore Ravens rookie receiver Zay Flowers was as advertised in 2023 as he showed exactly why the franchise used a first-round pick on him.
The former Boston College standout led the Ravens in yards (858), receptions (77), targets (108) and was second in touchdowns (5) as expectations were exceeded.
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Now, as we enter the offseason, the Ravens have a host of free agents set to walk out the door, most notably Odell Beckham Jr., so could Flowers become more of a focal point in Todd Monken's offense in 2024?
Granted, Flowers likely benefited from the absence of All-Pro tight end Mark Andrews as he is often Lamar Jackson's security blanket, but given what Flowers can do in open space, could Baltimore's offense really go through Zay?
Possibly. However we know how the Ravens want to establish the run as again last season, they were the NFL's best, so that is likely to be their one wood again.
But under Monken, Jackson threw for a career-high 3,678 yards and had 457 attempts (also a career-high). So there was a want to air the ball out more and it paid dividends.
For Flowers, with another offseason under the guidance of Monken and getting more work in with Lamar, he could, in theory, have a monster second year.
Now, we are talking about being the first Ravens receiver since Marquise Brown in 2021 to surpass 1,000 yards in a season. Additionally, it's not out of the realm of possibility that Flowers, with more targets, could even usurp Michael Jackson's 1996 season total of 1,201 yards, although right now, that seems like a stretch.
Flowers showed his talents last season and in the playoffs (despite his poor flags vs. the Chiefs) as he has everything needed to become the Ravens' No. 1 offensive target.
Whether or not the Ravens try and move toward that avenue is unknown and given the want to run the ball along with other pass catchers in Andrews, Isaiah Likely and fellow receiver Nelson Agholor, Flowers could see targets go elsewhere.
But with Baltimore's receiver room looking a little thin and the franchise not able to go and acquire a big-name free agent like Odell, Flowers could be thrust into the limelight and become the focal point of Monken's offense.
And we think he's more than ready for that challenge.
