The Baltimore Ravens drafted Zay Flowers in the first round this offseason to help be a spark plug for a new offense.
Early in Monday night's 29-28 loss to the Washington Commanders, the rookie wideout showed the type of playmaking he could provide, taking a short catch and zig-zagging his way for a 26-yard touchdown.
The score is symbolic of the type of playmaker the Ravens believed they were drafting.
"Zay is different," Baltimore quarterback Josh Johnson said Monday night, via the official transcript. "To see him do what you all see every day -- we were able to get the ball in his hands early. He's a very exciting player, and his moves are wild, and it's like that every day. So automatically, it injects life into the whole team to see him go out there and just unleash his special talent. I'm excited for the young fella."
In the Ravens' first preseason game against the Eagles, Flowers took a swing pass, ultimately defined as a rushing attempt, for one yard. He had a couple of other targets that resulted in defensive penalties. On Monday, he caught two passes for 37 yards and the score.
With the additions of Flowers and Odell Beckham Jr., the Ravens' offense under new coordinator Todd Monken will be in a much better spot than the last few seasons in Baltimore. If Rashod Bateman finally overcomes his injury issues, that's a stellar trio who can pressure every level of a defense.
Flowers' preseason action over the first two weeks has been sparing, but he showed Monday night the type of playmaking he can bring to the Ravens' offense with the ball in his hands. Depending on how the rookie QBs at the top of the first round perform, it wouldn't be stunning if Flowers was in the mix for The Associated Press NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year honors late in the season.
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