Catching Greatness: Will Zay Flowers Become the Ravens’ All-Time Best Receiver?

When you think about the Baltimore Ravens throughout their 28 years in the NFL, fans and experts typically remember them for their tough, gritty, and dominating defense, which included Hall of Famers Ray Lewis, Ed Reed, and Rod Woodson, along with Terrell Suggs and Haloti Ngata, who are strong candidates for future Hall of Fame induction. However, in 2024, the Ravens' offense, led by two-time MVP Lamar Jackson, has flipped the script and made the Ravens known for their explosive offense. This was evident on Sunday against the Broncos, with their offense, full of playmakers, continuing to showcase its dominance. One of the electric playmakers on the Ravens' offense is 2023 first-round pick wide receiver Zay Flowers. At only 24 years old, Flowers has wasted no time making an immediate impact early in his NFL career. Now in his second year, he has already emerged as the Ravens' top wide receiver. With his continued success in his sophomore season, the question arises: will Flowers go down as the best wide receiver in Ravens franchise history?

Despite being in just his second NFL season, Flowers has shown tremendous potential to possibly become the best wide receiver to ever wear a Ravens uniform. In his debut season, Flowers quickly developed a connection with quarterback Lamar Jackson, instantly becoming the speed threat the Ravens had been seeking since former wide receiver Marquise 'Hollywood' Brown was traded to the Arizona Cardinals on Day One of the 2022 NFL Draft. A knock against Brown during his three seasons with Baltimore was his tendency not to garner much yardage after the catch, which has not been the case with Flowers. In his rookie season, Flowers broke the Ravens' rookie records for wide receivers, finishing with the most receiving yards in a season at 858 and the most receptions at 77, both of which surpassed former Ravens wideout Torrey Smith, who previously held those records from his rookie season in 2011. In addition to his record-breaking regular season, Flowers continued his dominance in the postseason last year, recording nine receptions, 156 receiving yards, and a touchdown in the Ravens' two playoff games against the Texans and Chiefs.

In his sophomore season, Flowers has shown no drop-off in his production and game-changing abilities, continuing to impress and clearly setting himself apart as one of the best wide receivers currently in the NFL. This season, in just nine games so far, Flowers has taken another step forward, adding new milestones to his young career. After recording only one game with over 100 receiving yards in 2023, in Week 17 against the Dolphins, Flowers has already surpassed the 100-yard receiving mark four times this season, accomplishing this feat within the past five weeks, most recently on Sunday against the Broncos, when he finished with 127 yards and two touchdown receptions on five catches. With everything that Flowers has accomplished thus far in his young NFL career, becoming the top wide receiver target for Jackson on offense, if he can remain healthy and maintain consistency throughout his career, there is no doubt that Flowers could go down as the Ravens’ best wide receiver in franchise history by the end of his career.