Baltimore Ravens take Zay Flowers in R1, give Lamar some help

The Baltimore Ravens have given Lamar Jackson some help. They took Zay Flowers with their first-round pick in the 2023 NFL Draft.  The Ravens went from public enemy #1 to knocking it out of the park.  First, on Thursday before the draft began, news broke that the Ravens and Lamar Jackson agreed to a contract extension.

Something that took literal years to complete finally got done, and Jackson got his money, becoming the highest-paid player in the history of the NFL.

Then, in the first round of the 2023 NFL Draft, with the 22nd overall pick, the Ravens selected Zay Flowers, a tough and speedy wide receiver from Boston College.  It’s clear now that Baltimore is investing legitimate resources into their wide receiver core, which has needed a boost for years.

In the offseason, they signed two veteran players in Nelson Agholor and Odell Beckham Jr.  Both are solid players and won’t be 1,000 yard players, but each can contribute solidly in the passing game.

They also still have Rashod Bateman on the roster and now have added Zay Flowers.  With the heavy investment in the WR room this offseason, I’d expect we’d see the Ravens’ offense do more in the passing game now that they have the players to do so.

Lamar Jackson should be running less now since he has competent pass catchers around him, which should help keep him healthy and perhaps add more balance to the offense.

The Baltimore Ravens have operated the last 20-ish hours about as well as they could have possibly done so.

Now, moving into 2023 and beyond, the Baltimore Ravens will look to Lamar Jackson to lead this team to consistent playoff appearances and an occasional deep playoff run.  They’ve given him weapons, they’ve given him his money, now it’s time for the 2019 NFL MVP to show the team that their investment has and will pay off.