Everything We Know About Zay Flowers Avoiding Major Injury at Ravens Camp

The Baltimore Ravens' two-time Pro Bowler will be "day-to-day" with a minor soft tissue issue as opposed to anything more severe, thankfully.

Jul 30, 2026; Owings Mills, MD, USA; Baltimore Ravens wide receiver Zay Flowers (4) stretches during practice at Under Armour Peformance Center. Mandatory Credit: Mitch Stringer-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Baltimore Ravens have been fortunate enough to be one of the few teams that haven't suffered a significant setback on the injury front through the first two weeks of training camp.

Thankfully, that still remains the case after head coach Jesse Minter put many minds at ease with his post-practice update on Saturday when he revealed that star wide receiver Zay Flowers is only dealing with a simple quad contusion after going down and limping off the field an hour into practice.

"I think he'll be about day-to-day," Minter said. "You certainly don't like to see that, don't want to see that [and] you kind of obviously hope for the best. That's the reality of it.

According to a report from ESPN's Jamison Hensley, the injury occurred during a 7-on-7 drill after Flowers collided with safety Jaylinn Hawkins over the middle.

"Flowers had trouble getting up before getting looked at by trainers, who flexed his left leg," Hensley wrote in a tweet.

While Flowers limped off the field, he did so under his own power and without the assistance of a cart, another good sign that this isn't anything to worry about as a potential long-term setback.

Hensley also reported that fellow offensive stars, quarterback Lamar Jackson and running back Derrick Henry, came over to check in on Flowers afterwards, as did general manager Eric DeCosta, who just inked him to the largest non-quarterback contract in franchise history earlier this week on a four-year extension worth $140 million.

When asked a follow-up about Flowers' status and how much time he anticipates the star wideout to miss, Minter shut down the notion that it could impact his ability to start the regular season and implied that the belief is that he'll only miss some practice time. Since Flowers and several established starters likely aren't going to play in the preseason anyway, this is truly a best-case scenario considering how grave the alternative would've been.

"There's stuff that happens sometimes, contact, non-contact, guys bumping into each other," Minter said. "[We] try to avoid that as much as we can, especially when we're not in pads, but thankfully I think he'll be okay in the long run."

Young wideouts need to make the most of additional reps

Jul 30, 2026; Owings Mills, MD, USA; Baltimore Ravens wide receiver Ja’Kobi Lane (6) during practice at Under Armour Peformance Center. Mandatory Credit: Mitch Stringer-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

While Flowers is sidelined, veteran Rashod Bateman will be assuming the No. 1 receiver role with the first-team offense in practices for the time being and possibly even for the two joint practices the Ravens will take part in with the Minnesota Vikings on August 19 and 20 ahead of their Week 2 preseason matchup if their main fixture in the passing game isn't fully recovered by then.

This means that there will be ample opportunities for the Ravens' young receivers on the roster to get more time catching passes from Jackson and running with the first team. Third-round rookie Ja'Kobi Lane was already doing that before Flowers went down and has been the unquestioned star of training camp thus far.

During the time Flowers is out of commission, fellow rookie Elijah Sarratt, who was selected in the fourth round, and third-year pro Devontez Walker, a 2024 fourth-rounder, have a chance to strengthen their rapport with the two-time MVP on the field and prove they're worthy of meaningful snaps come September.

"That's what camp is about," Minter said. "Preparing yourself for a game where you may be missing a guy or whatever," Minter said. "So 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, but don't expect it to be too long."

One under-the-radar player at the position who could see a sharp uptick in his snaps with the first-team offense while Flowers recovers is second-year pro LaJohntay Wester. The 2025 sixth-rounder is an all-purpose weapon who, at 5-foot-9 and 180 pounds, not only physically resembles the 5-foot-9 and 183-pound Flowers, but also possesses a similar quick-twitch jitterbug playstyle when it comes to explosive play potential and short-area quickness.

After being limited to a primary special teams role as a rookie last year and not getting a single touch or target on his 58 offensive snaps, he could show just how much of a multi-phase contributor he can be under this new regime.