Ravens WR Zay Flowers leaves practice early with quad injury, is considered day-to-day

Join the huddle. Sign up here for Ravens updates in your inbox.

Ravens star wide receiver Zay Flowers is considered day-to-day after leaving practice early Saturday with what coach Jesse Minter said was a quadriceps contusion.

The contusion, more commonly known as a bruise, resulted from Flowers’ lower body colliding with safety Jaylinn Hawkins while catching a pass from quarterback Lamar Jackson over the middle of the field. Jackson hit Flowers on an in-breaking route in a seven-on-seven period, but the receiver’s momentum took him into Hawkins, who was unable to avoid contact.

Flowers went to the ground before limping to a spot behind the play. There, athletic trainers tended to him as they worked on his left leg. At around 12:15 p.m., 75 minutes into the training camp practice, the two-time Pro Bowl pick limped off the field and into the team facility alongside a trainer.

“Guys bumping into each other — [we] try to avoid that as much as we can, especially when we’re not in pads,” Minter said. “But, thankfully, I think he’ll be OK in the long term.”

The news comes just four days after Flowers signed a four-year, $140 million contract extension that will keep him in Baltimore through 2031. Flowers has earned the payday; he finished the 2025 season with 86 receptions for 1,211 yards, and his 3,128 career receiving yards rank fifth in franchise history.

Since joining the Ravens in 2023, Flowers has been one of Jackson’s go-to targets. As South Florida natives, the two have often worked out together during the offseason. That connection has shown on the field. Last year, Flowers posted a career-high target share of 29%.

“I’d love him to be my quarterback till I’m done playing,” Flowers said after practice Wednesday. “To me, he is the best in the world. I feel like our game matches.”

The Ravens will practice Sunday before having Monday off. Even if Flowers returns to action quickly, he likely won’t play in their preseason opener next Saturday against the Philadelphia Eagles.

Still, with Flowers sidelined for the final 45 minutes of practice, the Ravens’ secondary receivers had an opportunity to take on a larger role. Rookie wideout Ja’Kobi Lane, in particular, continued to make a strong impression.

Lane, a third-round pick and camp sensation, showed more flashes throughout practice, particularly in contested situations. After an initial battle against cornerback Nate Wiggins in a one-on-one drill led to an incompletion, Lane came back a few minutes later with a roughly 30-yard catch on a go route. Jackson placed the ball perfectly to beat Wiggins’ close coverage.

In seven-on-seven action, Lane made a one-handed grab near the left sideline despite tight coverage from cornerback Keyon Martin, connecting with backup quarterback Tyler Huntley for a 25-yard back-shoulder catch. He added another catch for an explosive gain on an in-breaker later in practice. Lane did have a drop during a seven-on-seven period with Jackson, but he consistently made plays.

“You’re far enough in where there is consistency now,” Minter said. “There’s consistency of making really contested, nice catches, [and] being a really friendly target for the quarterback.”

Minter said the Ravens have encouraged Jackson to continue throwing to Lane in difficult situations to build that trust.

“Let’s throw him the ball in traffic, throw him the ball when he’s covered at times, just to see,” Minter said. “And I think, every time he makes a play, that trust grows.”

After playing three seasons at USC, Lane is adjusting to an offense that Minter said is “completely different” from what the rookie was accustomed to in college. But Minter said Lane has worked hard and spent extra time with the team’s receivers and quarterbacks.

Ravens ‘perfecting’ offense

Unofficially, Jackson went 4-for-7 in the Ravens’ outdoors team drills. (Practice was moved indoors for the final half-hour because of the threat of lightning, limiting media viewing opportunities.) Jackson was 3-for-5 in 11-on-11 periods and 1-for-2 in seven-on-seven, with the one incompletion coming on Lane’s drop.

Wide receivers Rashod Bateman, LaJohntay Wester and Lane, and running back Justice Hill each had a catch.

With the Ravens’ Sept. 13 season opener just over a month away, Hill called offensive coordinator Declan Doyle’s offense “vast” and said the Ravens are “really perfecting” their plays in camp.

“It’s been fun to learn,” Hill said. “I know it’s going to give defenses fits because it’s a lot of things that look very similar — you don’t know if it’s a run or a pass — and I feel like that’s going to really get us over the hump of getting people open. ... The offense that we have is not just some simple offense — it’s a lot of moving pieces to it, but the root of it is very elementary, I would say. So I’m excited to see the final product, but so far it’s been fun to go out there and make plays every day, so I’m excited to see it when we get to live action.”

One-on-one highlights

• In receiver one-on-ones, rookie wideout Elijah Sarratt got behind safety Malaki Starks, but Starks recovered and did just enough to get his hands into Sarratt’s and jostle the ball loose at the catch point.
• Rookie tight end Josh Cuevas showed precise route running, faking outside before cutting inside to get open against safety Keondre Jackson on an in-breaking route.
• A deep shot from quarterback Tyler Huntley intended for wide receiver Devontez Walker on an out-breaking route hit Walker in the hands, but good coverage from cornerback T.J. Tampa broke up the pass.
• Cornerback Amani Oruwariye gave up just one catch across three reps. He stayed with Walker on a deep shot to force an incompletion, then was tight in coverage against wide receiver Xavier Guillory on an end-zone shot.

Extra points

• Wide receiver Dayton Wade, defensive linemen Calais Campbell and Aeneas Peebles, and inside linebacker Carl Jones did not practice. Defensive lineman Travis Jones and inside linebacker Teddye Buchanan remain on the physically-unable-to-perform list.
• The Ravens signed inside linebacker Jamon Johnson, a Hyattsville native and St. Frances alumnus who went undrafted out of Kentucky last year. Johnson, 24, played in two games (one start) last season for the Green Bay Packers, getting 67 defensive snaps and 25 special teams snaps and finishing with 10 tackles. In a corresponding move, the Ravens waived undrafted rookie cornerback Matthew McDoom.

This article has been updated.