So, let's talk about Zay Flowers. If you’ve spent any time in a Baltimore sports bar or scrolled through the Ravens subreddit lately, you’ve heard the same three things over and over. He’s too small. He fumbles at the worst times. He’s a "gadget guy."
Honestly? Most of that is just noise.
We just watched the 2025 season wrap up, and the numbers tell a story that people aren't quite ready to believe yet. Zay Flowers didn't just have a "good" year; he basically carried a passing game that was, at times, incredibly shaky. He finished 2025 with 86 receptions for 1,211 yards. Both of those are career highs. But the real kicker? He’s doing this in an offense that treats the forward pass like a secondary suggestion behind Derrick Henry running through people’s faces.
The "Size" Myth and Why It Doesn't Matter Anymore
People look at Zay’s 5'9", 183-pound frame and assume he’s just a slot specialist or a bubble screen merchant. That’s just not true. In 2025, Zay was targeted on the outside way more than you’d think. In fact, in Week 14 against the Steelers, he only ran about 26% of his routes from the slot.
He's winning on the perimeter.
How? It’s the separation. According to PlayerProfiler, Zay finished the season with a target separation of 2.15, which puts him among the elite in the league. He isn't out-muscling cornerbacks; he’s making them look like they’re running in sand. He has this weird, twitchy way of stopping and starting that leaves even Pro Bowl corners like Denzel Ward guessing. You’ve probably noticed it—that little shimmy at the top of the route where the defender's hips turn one way and Zay is already five yards the other way.
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He’s basically a human joystick.
But there’s a downside to that playstyle. Because he’s always trying to make the second and third guy miss, he puts the ball in danger. He had three lost fumbles in 2025. That’s high. It’s that "hero complex" people talk about. He’s trying to turn a 12-yard gain into a 60-yard touchdown every single time he touches the ball. Sometimes it works (like that 64-yard bomb against Pittsburgh in Week 18), and sometimes it ends in a turnover that makes you want to throw your remote.
Why the Lamar Connection is Different Now
There was a moment in the 2025 season opener against the Bills where it finally clicked. Lamar Jackson threw a ball into a window that looked impossible. Zay didn't just catch it; he adjusted mid-air, snatched it, and kept running for a 143-yard day.
They’ve got this South Florida shorthand now. They spent the last couple of offseasons working out together in Florida, and you can see it in the "scramble drill." When Lamar starts dancing behind the line of scrimmage, Zay is the only one who consistently finds the dead spot in the zone.
The Stats That Actually Tell the Story
If you look at the advanced metrics from the 2025 season, some of this stuff is wild:
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- Target Share: Zay commanded a 29% target share. That is massive for a Ravens receiver.
- Yards Per Route Run (YPRR): He averaged 2.62 YPRR. For context, anything over 2.0 is considered "elite WR1" territory.
- Deep Ball Growth: He’s finally hitting the deep shots. He had 21 deep targets this year, a big jump from his rookie and sophomore seasons.
It’s easy to look at guys like Jaxon Smith-Njigba or Jordan Addison and think they’re "safer" because they have more traditional builds or play in higher-volume offenses. But Zay is doing more with less. The Ravens ranked near the bottom of the league in pass attempts (averaging only about 27 per game), yet Zay still cleared 1,200 yards.
Imagine if he played in an offense that threw the ball 40 times a game. He’d be flirting with 1,600 yards easily.
The "Gadget" Label Needs to Die
Todd Monken (the offensive coordinator for most of Zay's rise) used him in motion a lot. Like, a lot. He was moved at the snap 20 times in just one game against Pittsburgh. But that doesn't make him a gadget player. It makes him a matchup nightmare.
When you move a guy like Zay around, you force the defense to reveal whether they’re in man or zone. If it’s man? Good luck. Zay caught 27 passes against man coverage this year, 4th most in the NFL. He’s a technician disguised as a speedster.
The real issue in Baltimore isn't Zay's talent; it's the lack of a consistent "Big Body" receiver across from him. Rashod Bateman had his moments, but he didn't demand the kind of attention that would truly let Zay roam free. When DeAndre Hopkins was floating around as a rumor for the Ravens, that was the dream—a guy to take the double teams away so Zay could just destroy single coverage.
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What Happens in 2026?
Looking ahead, Zay Flowers is entering the final year of his rookie deal. That’s a big deal. The Ravens are going to have to decide if they want to pay him $25+ million a year. Some people think he’s a high-end WR2. I think he’s already proven he’s an unconventional WR1.
If you’re a fantasy manager or just a fan trying to gauge his value, stop looking at the height. Start looking at the target share and the separation metrics. He’s the engine of that passing game.
Actionable Next Steps for Fans and Analysts
- Watch the "All-22" film: If you can, stop watching the broadcast view. Watch how much attention Zay gets from safeties. He’s being bracketed like a superstar, and he’s still winning.
- Track the fumble rate: The only thing holding him back from being a consensus Top 10 receiver is the ball security. If he cleans that up in 2026, he’s unstoppable.
- Monitor the WR room: Keep an eye on who the Ravens bring in this offseason. If they draft a big, physical "X" receiver, Zay’s efficiency is going to skyrocket because he can move back into that "Z" role where he’s naturally more dangerous.
The 2025 season was the "prove it" year for Zay Flowers. He proved he could stay healthy (playing all 17 games) and he proved he could be the focal point. He’s not just a Florida kid with speed anymore. He’s the most important piece of the Ravens' aerial attack, and it's time we started talking about him like the elite talent he is.
Keep an eye on his training camp highlights this summer. If he’s still looking "physically bigger" like scouts reported at the start of last year, he’s only going to get harder to bring down in the open field. That 1,200-yard mark might just be the floor for what he does next.