The status of Zay Flowers will loom large for the Baltimore Ravens ahead of Week 2’s game against the New Orleans Saints, but offensive coordinator Declan Doyle is tipped to use a surprise replacement, a “versatile slot weapon,” if his star wide receiver is still sidelined with a hamstring injury on Sunday, September 20.
Flowers left the field early during the 41-23 win over the Indianapolis Colts in Week 1. Head coach Jesse Minter subsequently provided an uncertain update about Flowers’ recovery.
Most would expect Flowers’ fellow former first-round draft pick Rashod Bateman to step up if the Ravens play it safe with their go-to target. Or else, third-year burner and touchdown magnet Devontez Walker will get his chance, but Ravens.com Editorial Director Ryan Mink believes Minter and Doyle will spring a surprise.
He wrote, “I expect LaJohntay Wester to step into his role as a versatile slot weapon. Wester had a great preseason with seven catches and two touchdowns. He’s shifty like Flowers.”
That’s a bold prediction for a receiver with just two catches for 15 yards to his credit in the pros, but there’s still something intriguing about Mink’s idea. Namely, how Wester has the right physical profile, crossover skills and big-play potential to adopt the same role Flowers played against the Colts.
LaJohntay Wester a Sneaky Good Fit to Replace Zay Flowers
There’s not much to choose between 5-foot-9, 183-pound Flowers and 5-foot-9, 180-pounder Wester. They are both the right combination of short and shifty to win on option routes from the slot and amass yards after the catch.
Wester’s sample size is small, but he snagged both of his targets in Indianapolis, per Pro Football Reference. The 2025 sixth-rounder did showcase his ability to win on the inside with this touchdown catch against the Washington Commanders in preseason.
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This is was one of many plays that impressed Minter about Wester’s progress this offseason. The positive impression should extend to the many ways Doyle can use Wester, just like the Ravens unleashed Flowers in Week 1.
Ravens Need New ‘Chess Piece’ vs. Saints
Flowers not practicing on Wednesday, September 16 is a worrying development after he dominated the Colts as what Sports Illustrated’s Conor Orr called “a scheme-transcendent chess piece.”
Flowers’ five catches for 150 yards and a touchdown formed an impressive stat line. Yet, what stood out more were the multiple ways he got free for numerous big plays.
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Those ways included aligning in the backfield before his 54-yard catch and run for a touchdown. Flowers even took another snap “at fullback,” per Nate Tice of Yahoo Sports.
Doyle had a host of ideas for getting Flowers into space, where his quicks and elusiveness would make a difference. The same ideas can work to make effective use of Wester’s returner-style running.
He’s averaged 12 yards returning punts, along with 25.1 on kickoffs since entering the pros, according to Pro Football Reference. Wester also compiled 1,044 all-purpose yards as a return man in college, per Sports Reference.
Devising creative ways to use Wester’s dynamism in the open field would be a smart way for the Ravens to replace Flowers, if needed, at M&T Bank Stadium. The Saints won’t be expecting it, even after more established names like Bateman were barely used during the Ravens’ season-opener.
Ravens Tipped to Use Surprise WR in Zay Flowers’ Role vs. Saints