The news isn't great, but it also isn't super surprising. The Baltimore Ravens could bewithout Zay Flowers for Sunday's home opener against the New Orleans Saints. That creates a significant opportunity for the rest of the wide receiver room. Flowers is doubtful in Week 2 due to a hamstring injury. He missed the first two practices of the week before returning Friday on a limited basis.
The Ravens already placed Ja'Kobi Lane on injured reserve after he underwent surgery for a fractured wrist. Chris Moore earned a promotion to the active roster after a nice debut in Week 1, on paper, leaving Baltimore with considerably less proven production at wide receiver. Rashod Bateman, Chris Moore, Devontez Walker and LaJohntay Wester are currently available,
while Elijah Sarratt could make his regular-season debut.
The circumstances might suggest Baltimore needs someone to become a bigger part of the offense suddenly, but Jesse Minter doesn't see it as a reason for concern. In fact, the Ravens' head coach expressed strong confidence in the receivers who could be asked to take on more responsibility while speaking to the Baltimore media on Friday.
"Look, they are going to kick the ball off at 1 p.m. on Sunday. So, the confidence that I have in the guys is really high. It comes from the amount of reps that everybody has gotten all the way back to OTAs, all the way through training camp, and just the detail and the preparation that everybody puts in week to week. So, I feel really good about anybody that we will have out there that they will be ready to play."
That answer is more revealing than it might initially seem. Minter isn't pointing to one player as the obvious replacement for Flowers, nor is he suggesting the Ravens need to completely change their offense if their leading receiver cannot play. Instead, his confidence appears to come from the collective preparation of the room.
That matters because Baltimore's receiver situation could force several players into roles that aren't necessarily their regular responsibilities. Bateman remains the most established option of the group, but Moore, Walker, Wester and Sarratt could all see opportunities depending on how the Ravens distribute their snaps and targets.
Minter's comments suggest Baltimore has been preparing for that possibility long before Flowers' injury became a question. The Ravens have spent months giving their receivers opportunities to work within the offense. That preparation becomes especially important when injuries suddenly change the depth chart because there is little time to install an entirely different plan.
There is also an important distinction between having confidence in a player and knowing exactly how a player will perform when his role expands. Baltimore cannot know what every receiver will look like with a larger workload until those opportunities actually arrive. Still, Minter believes the preparation has given the coaching staff enough information to trust the group.
That trust could be tested Sunday.
If Flowers cannot go, Baltimore will have to find ways to replace his production without necessarily trying to replace him with one player. The Ravens can spread the responsibility across the receiver room, use their tight ends and running backs, and continue leaning on an offense that showed in Week 1 it can create opportunities in a variety of ways.
For the receivers who have been waiting for those opportunities, however, Sunday's game could provide an important chance to turn months of preparation into meaningful production. Minter's confidence isn't based on what the Ravens hope those players can become. It is based on the work they've already put in, and now Baltimore may find out what that preparation looks like when the spotlight gets a little brighter.
This article originally appeared on Ravens Wire: Jesse Minter expresses confidence in Ravens' depleted receiver room
