ExtremeRavens Posted 15 hours ago Posted 15 hours ago Zay Flowers is coming off his first 1,000-yard season and an accompanying Pro Bowl nod. Rashod Bateman scored nine touchdowns last season, this after managing four his first three years in the NFL. DeAndre Hopkins is one of the league’s most revered veteran receivers. Mark Andrews is Lamar Jackson’s longest-tenured option, still considered his safety blanket. And Isaiah Likely has improved each of his first three seasons. That’s a lot of pass catching mouths to feed in Baltimore. “You’d rather have too many players that want the ball than not enough or that [don’t] deserve it,” Ravens offensive coordinator Todd Monken said. Three receivers and two tight ends, all proven commodities, can make for an egotistical nightmare or yield an historically productive offense. The challenge for Monken will be how he can spread the ball around with the luxury of keeping his guys fresh by way of variance in personnel groupings. “To me, that’s balance,” Monken said. “Balance is having enough players that it’s not just run and pass, it’s touches. That they’re not just defending one player, that you’re defending modes, you’re defending formations, you’re defending players, you’re defending concepts, all the above. And we’re very fortunate to have that, and we’ll see because we have to do it this year.” Of the 1,055 plays the Ravens offense ran in 2024, 31% were in 12 personnel (one running back and two tight ends), 27.8% were 11 personnel (three receivers with one running back and one tight end), 18.8% were 21 personnel (two running backs, two receivers and a tight end) and 12.6% were 22 personnel (two running backs, two tight ends and one receiver). That’s all according to sports data platform SumerSports. For comparison, 47.7% of the Ravens plays in 2023 were 11 personnel. Monken let loose last year, his second at the helm, with more two tight end sets while mixing and matching receiver and running back combos on the heels of adding running back Derrick Henry. It produced the league’s best offense by DVOA, each play a concert of skill position play makers. Then the Ravens went out and signed Hopkins. They also should get a healthy Keaton Mitchell returning to the backfield, joining Henry and Justice Hill. Monken and quarterback Lamar Jackson are working with a full house that will need to set egos aside to reach their potential. “It’s an unselfish group,” Andrews said. “And that’s not to say that guys aren’t going to want the rock and to have their yards, have their carries or have their catches, and I think that’s a great thing. I think Coach ‘Monk’ talks about that a lot. And for us, it’s being unselfish, trusting the process and trusting No. 8 [Lamar Jackson].” As far as pass catchers go, there’s a diverse skillset in the room. Wide receivers coach Greg Lewis said they try to hone in on each’s niche and put them in those situations. Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson passes during Monday's practice. The Ravens have no shortage of weapons heading into the 2025 season. (Karl Merton Ferron/Staff) Flowers is the shifty one of the group, a whirling dervish digging into sharp cuts to find separation over the middle. He said he’s even faster than he was last year. Bateman, who signed a three-year, $36.75 million extension in the offseason, is more of a long ball threat. He’s 6-1, lanky and has become more reliable on go routes. And Hopkins figures to be an outlet for Jackson to throw the ball to past the first down line knowing he’ll go up and get it. A few of those instances have already manifested in training camp. Andrews is a similar 50-50 ball threat. And Likely thrives in scramble situations when Jackson uses his feet to extend a play. Flowers said Monday that he anticipates the offense taking more deep shots. It’s something they’ve been working on and “it’ll show throughout the season.” Are there conversations about sharing the wealth in the offense? Is that something that gets ironed out in August? “It’s been that way since I’ve been here, so we’ll figure it out,” Flowers said, matter of factly. On paper, it’s true because Hopkins is the only addition to the quintet since Flowers’ rookie season. But Andrews was the only established threat in 2023. All of them have made significant strides since. Whether there’s a harmonious union will determine their success. Coach John Harbaugh made the odd analogy to warfare, “like maybe the Civil War,” he said. “You’ve got all these lines of battle. Maybe we can attack them where their defense isn’t displayed quite as strongly, personnel being one of those things,” Harbaugh continued. “If you’ve got guys all across the front that can attack effectively, that’s a good thing.” Is this the best offense of Jackson’s eight-year career? “Yes, absolutely,” he said with conviction, before admitting he says that around this time every year. “We never know until we’re out there,” Jackson said. “I believe we’ll be a lot better this year as well.” Have a news tip? Contact Sam Cohn at scohn@baltsun.com, 410-332-6200 and x.com/samdcohn. View the full article Quote
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