Zay Flowers will thrive with Baltimore Ravens as long as he's in a supporting role

It's no secret that heading into this offseason, the Baltimore Ravens knew one of their biggest areas of opportunity was at wide receiver. It not only needed to be revamped but infused with better, younger, and more impactful playmakers. Needless to say, general manager Eric DeCosta delivered big time to the wide receiver corps of the Ravens.

In NFL Free Agency, DeCosta made huge moves bringing in Odell Beckham Jr., Nelson Agholor, and Laquon Treadwell. He used the No. 22 overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft and selected wide receiver Zay Flowers out of Boston College. If wide receiver Rashod Bateman can stay healthy and productive, this group can truly amount to something special.

It all comes down to health and if this wide receiver corps can do what they do best without missing any significant time due to injury, their combined potential would be surreal. The key element here is making sure Flowers doesn't end up having to do everything by himself as he gets used to life in the NFL in his rookie season.

Zay Flowers will thrive in a supporting role with the Baltimore Ravens

Flowers is undoubtedly a playmaker and should be a household name sooner rather than later but he can't be thrown into the No. 1 receiving slot too soon due to injuries around him. Considering the pure potential of all the other wide receivers on the depth chart, it's imperative that he's eased into things and not thrown to the wolves in a No. 1 receiving role due to injuries making him the only viable threat on offense.

In the grand scheme of things, Flowers brings a lot to the table with his speed, route running, and ability to make huge plays in the clutch but at least for his rookie season, he should thrive as an outside wide receiver. That way, he can still make his plays but not be rushed to be "the guy" so soon as he'll need time to naturally develop his skills at the pro level.

If Beckham, Agholor, Treadwell, and Bateman can stay healthy and allow Flowers to develop on his own time this upcoming season, it'll put him in the best position to succeed. His future is undoubtedly a bright one but that all depends on how his teammates perform, stay healthy, and most importantly of all, deliver as a positional group.

His star power is absolutely there and now it's just a matter of executing it one game at a time. The Ravens should develop Flowers the right way now in a supporting role for a bright future later. One of which sees him naturally in a No. 1 wide receiver role due to being developed the right way.

Of course, injuries are a natural part of the game but giving him the bulk of offensive plays or playing time due to that could hinder his overall growth. Especially since DeCosta made a lot of moves to prevent putting Flowers in a position where it's just him and the stress of the entire Ravens' offense falls squarely on his shoulders.

Hopefully, that won't be the case and Flowers can enjoy learning the ropes from all the veteran and championship talent around him so he can thrive at his own pace. One of which doesn't see him having to go above and beyond what is needed in his rookie season when he has a supporting cast around him that should come together as a unit for big results.