Baltimore Ravens receiver Zay Flowers’ knee injury is not season-ending, coach John Harbaugh said on Monday, but he didn’t guarantee a fast return.
“It’s just going to be day to day, try to do everything he can do to get back as soon as he can,” Harbaugh explained during a video call with reporters on a snowy day in Baltimore. “We’ll see where that takes us.”
Flowers injured his knee in Saturday’s win over Cleveland, which secured a home playoff game for the Ravens. They will face Pittsburgh on Saturday to start the postseason.
After a strong rookie year in 2023, Flowers has taken another step forward, becoming the first Ravens wide receiver to make the Pro Bowl. He caught 74 passes for 1,059 yards and four touchdowns during the 2024 regular season.
Rashod Bateman, another wide receiver, has also made significant progress in his fourth NFL season, catching 45 passes for 756 yards and nine touchdowns.
“He’s always been high, high on my list, my charts,” Harbaugh said. “I think he’s a tremendous player, tremendous athlete, tremendous competitor.
Excellent wide receiver, brings a tremendous skill set to it. He’s been playing at a high level all year. Made big plays for us in that game this past week. He was a factor in those drives and getting us into scoring position numerous times.”
Beyond Flowers and Bateman, the Ravens don’t have much depth at wide receiver after a midseason trade for Diontae Johnson didn’t go well. However, Baltimore has two tight ends, Mark Andrews and Isaiah Likely, who are key targets in the passing game.
The Ravens, led by quarterback Lamar Jackson and running back Derrick Henry, made history as the first team in NFL history to pass for at least 4,000 yards and rush for at least 3,000.
“We have a lot of weapons,” Harbaugh said. “We can move guys around different ways, scheme those guys up and they can all make plays.”
Harbaugh also mentioned that running back Justice Hill and offensive lineman Patrick Mekari are “trending well” after illness kept them limited last weekend. Hill didn’t play against Cleveland, and Mekari only played six offensive snaps.
