Getty Baltimore Ravens' rookie Zay Flowers has already been compared to a Hall of Famer.
It’s only taken four games for Zay Flowers to be compared to a core member of one of the greatest offenses in NFL history. The Baltimore Ravens’ rookie wide receiver has been likened to Isaac Bruce, a Hall of Fame playmaker who helped make The Greatest Show on Turf famous for the then-St. Louis Rams in the late 1990s and early 2000s.
Mike Martz designed and directed the offense to help the Rams win a Super Bowl and reach another, and he told The 33rd Team about Flowers.
“I love him. He’s smooth. He reminds me a little bit of Isaac, in terms of getting in and out of things without having to stutter his speed. He’s got that terrific acceleration. He’s just very, very athletic and can go, but the run after the catch I think is excellent too. I think they hit Flowers at wide receiver for sure. He’s gonna have a big career there.”
That’s high praise from a former play-caller who made his career using gifted receivers to stretch the field. Bruce was one of the best, tallying over 15,000 yards in a career that eventually earned him a spot in Canton.
Happy birthday to Greatest Show on Turf legend @IsaacBruce80!
🐏 #PFHOF Class of 2020
🐏 Super Bowl XXXIV Champion
🐏 1,024 career receptions
🐏 15,208 career receiving yards
Flowers has a ways to go before reaching Bruce-like levels, but the player taken 22nd overall in the 2023 NFL draft is already helping redefine the Ravens’ offense. He’s become a go-to target for quarterback Lamar Jackson while other wideouts, including Odell Beckham Jr., have been on the shelf.
There are also obvious signs of Flowers’ influence in the way the Ravens are running the ball. At least in terms of how his pre-snap movement is serving to confuse defenses as part of the more expansive scheme called by offensive coordinator Todd Monken.
Zay Flowers Redefining New-Look Offense
Flowers has wasted no time becoming Jackson’s primary focus whenever Baltimore’s QB1 drops back to pass. Jackson has found Flowers 24 times for 244 yards.
It makes sense for Jackson to look Flowers’ way so often because there are clutch elements to the receiver’s game, evidenced by 10 of his catches going for first downs. The former Boston College star has also amassed 115 of his yards after the catch, breaking three tackles in the process.
Speed and shiftiness are among Flowers’ core qualities, but it’s how Monken’s using those traits that’s leading to success. Flowers has been deployed in the slot for 66 snaps, per Player Profiler, although shifting inside hasn’t been the most effective strategy for moving No. 4 around.
Using motion has created plays for Flowers and others in both phases of Monken’s offense. First, sending Flowers across the formation has helped Jackson decipher between man and zone coverage, leading to quicker decisions getting rid of the ball.
It worked against the Houston Texans in Week 1, when Jackson found Flowers on a bubble screen to beat zone, a play highlighted and broken down by CBS Sports’ Dan Schneier.
Love this play call by the #Ravens to beat a 3rd&9 when the defense is crowding the line of scrimmage. Put your best playmaker Zay Flowers in motion to confirm it’s not man and immediately snap and throw the the bubble. The second-level defender had no chance to get out there.
Motioning Flowers has also made a difference in the running game. His movement has taken would-be tacklers out of the box and allowed the Ravens to pop inside runs for solid gains.
The combination caught the Cleveland Browns cold in Week 4, when Flowers dragged two players with him, leaving Gus Edwards to prophet, per Ryan Mink of Ravens.com.
Watch how the Zay Flowers motion freezes/draws two Browns defenders.
Justice Hill does a nice job seeing the cutback lane for a run of 15 yards.
Todd Monken/Ravens used the Browns’ aggressiveness against them to gash them a few times.
Flowers is helping a Jackson and Monken-led offense improve, but the unit has a chance to become prolific now some veteran targets are ready to return and join forces with the first-year standout.
Ravens Getting Key Members of Supporting Cast Back
Beckham expects to play against the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 5, but he’s not the only wide receiver ready to come off the treatment table. There’s also Rashod Bateman, who is over a hamstring injury, according to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero.
Bateman can stretch the field as a legitimate deep threat, while OBJ is still capable of making plays both inside and outside the numbers. Their returns will augment the efforts of Flowers, fellow receiver Nelson Agholor and All-Pro tight end Mark Andrews.
Collectively, this group, along with Edwards and Andrews’ backup Isaiah Likely, give Jackson a plethora of options for the first time in his career. A supporting cast this deep and talented can help the Ravens field one of the most explosive offenses in football this season.
It won’t be ‘Greatest Show on Turf’ stuff just yet, but Flowers will ensure this group gets better and better.