How Zay Flowers Can Reach 1,500 Receiving Yards This Season
Zay Flowers broke into the upper echelon of wide receivers last season. He was sixth in receiving yards among all wide receivers and second in the AFC behind Cincinnati Bengals star Ja'Marr Chase.
After posting 858 receiving yards as a rookie in 2023, Flowers jumped to 1,059 yards in 2024 and 1,211 yards last season to earn back-to-back Pro Bowl nods.
Can Flowers continue the upward trend in 2026 and possibly become the first Ravens receiver to reach 1,500 yards in a single season?
To provide further context, only two receivers surpassed 1,500 yards last season: the Los Angeles Rams' Puka Nacua and Seattle Seahawks' Jaxon Smith-Njigba. There haven't been more than three receivers to reach the 1,500-yard mark in a season since 2015.
Ravens in 5’s Gordon McGuinness believes there's a path for Flowers to achieve the feat. The key is an increase in target share (Flowers' 118 targets last season ranked 18th), as McGuiness thinks Flowers could see in new Offensive Coordinator Declan Doyle's system.
"Declan Doyle's previous two spots saw him work under [Denver Broncos Head Coach] Sean Payton and [Chicago Bears Head Coach] Ben Johnson," McGuiness said. "In 2024 in Denver, Courtland Sutton saw 65 more targets than any other player on the Broncos offense. That same season in Detroit when Ben Johnson was the offensive coordinator, Amon-Ra St. Brown saw 50 more targets than any other player on that Lions offense.
"The coaches he has learned from have been more than happy to funnel an offense through one particular player if necessary, and I think that can be the case potentially in Baltimore in 2026. I think the Ravens play faster, I think they throw the ball at a higher rate in 2026, which means more targets in the offense anyway. If they do that, I think a 1,400-, 1,500-yard season is well within reach for Zay Flowers."
Last season, Flowers was by far the Ravens' leader in targets. He had nine more than Mark Andrews and DeAndre Hopkins, the Ravens' next-most-targeted receivers, combined.
Hiring Jesse Minter Is Pundit's Favorite Ravens Offseason Move
The Athletic’s Mike Sando named his favorite offseason move for every team. For the Ravens, it was hiring Jesse Minter as head coach.
"The Ravens were coming off a 13-win season when they watched Mike Macdonald, their defensive coordinator, take over as the Seahawks' coach entering 2024. They ideally would have kept Macdonald for themselves, but the timing wasn't ideal," Sando wrote. "When the time came to replace John Harbaugh, they pivoted to another defense-minded former Ravens assistant, Jesse Minter. The move gives the Ravens the closest available comp for Macdonald, two years later."
Minter, who will call the defensive plays, is tasked with getting a defense that ranked 24th in yards allowed last season back to the franchise's high standard.
Russell Street Report’s Darin McCann believes Minter and his defensive staff will do so.
"Jesse Minter alone brings me incredible optimism for the defense," McCann wrote. "We've all watched him succeed in both college and the NFL, and there is no doubt in my mind the Ravens will enjoy a schematic advantage in more games this season than they won't. And, even though he is now charged with the entire team and not just the defense, the addition of [Defensive Coordinator] Anthony Weaver to run the day-to-day also brings me optimism."
Minter-Lamar Jackson Land in Middle of the Pack in Head Coach-Quarterback Duo Rankings
Sports Illustrated’s Matt Verderame released his annual ranking of all 32 teams' head coach-quarterback duos. Minter and Lamar Jackson came in at No. 16.
The Ravens' duo of John Harbaugh and Jackson were No. 2 in the rankings the past three years in a row. Minter having no experience as a head coach caused the Ravens to land in the middle of the pack.
"If the Ravens can finally thrive in January, Minter will be seen as a home-run hire, while Jackson will jump a few levels historically," Verderame wrote.
The New York Giants' duo of Harbaugh and Jaxson Dart were ranked one spot ahead of Minter and Jackson.
