Ravens’ leading receiver Zay Flowers ruled out with knee injury vs. Browns

The Baltimore Ravens will be without Zay Flowers, their top pass catcher in 2024, for the rest of Saturday’s game against the Cleveland Browns as he was officially ruled out with a knee injury.

Flowers was removed from the game early in the second quarter after going down with a non-contact injury. Flowers caught a pass from Lamar Jackson for 12 yards and tried to juke out a Cleveland defender to extend the play, but then stumbled down to the ground while grabbing his right knee. He limped off the field and went to the blue medical tent before heading to the locker room.

Flowers has been one of Jackson’s most reliable receivers over the last two seasons. The only game he has missed in his professional career came in Week 18 of his rookie season, which he was held out of as a precaution. Since being drafted by the Ravens in the first round of 2023, Flowers has led all Ravens players in targets. With 1,047 receiving yards through 16 games, he is the first Ravens wide receiver to post a 1,000-yard season since Marquise “Hollywood” Brown in 2021.

Fl0wers was voted to his first career Pro Bowl roster this past week, joining Jackson, running back Derrick Henry, fullback Patrick Ricard, center Tyler Linderbaum and four members of the Ravens defense as part of the most-represented team on the Pro Bowl roster this season. Flowers is just the second Ravens receiver since 2000 to make the Pro Bowl, joining Devin Duvernay (who made the game as a return specialist).

Finding out you’re a Pro Bowler for the first time🥺💜@ZayFlowers pic.twitter.com/pJiphpYY7v

— Baltimore Ravens (@Ravens) January 2, 2025

If Flowers misses significant time, Baltimore is going to face a very uphill battle in the AFC playoffs. Despite leading the league in both dropback EPA per play and offensive passing DVOA, the Ravens’ passing attack is very top-heavy. In addition to Flowers’ team-high 114 targets this season, Rashod Bateman (64 targets) is the only other receiver on the roster with at least 30 targets on the season. There are major contributions from tight ends Mark Andrews (61) and Isaiah Likely (53), but the next three wide receivers on the roster — Nelson Agholor (29), Tylan Wallace (11), and Devontez Walker (3) — combine for fewer than 50 targets on the season.

The Ravens’ biggest attempt to shore up their wide receiver depth at the deadline came in the form of former Carolina Panthers receiver Diontae Johnson. The partnership did not last long — Johnson caught just one pass on five targets for the Ravens before he was suspended and eventually released.