Zay Flowers blames John Harbaugh practices for Ravens injury issues

Zay Flowers believes the Baltimore Ravens' offseason coaching change could help the team avoid the injury bug that has plagued them in recent seasons.

In an appearance on the "4th and South" podcast, hosted by Jarvis Landry and Leonard Fournette, Flowers spoke about the Ravens' strenuous practices under former coach John Harbaugh.

"Bro, we're [in] full pads all the time," Flowers said, with a smile. "However many practices in pads you can get, every single one."

"We're doing one-on-ones in Week 17," Flowers added. "Week 17, we're doing one-on-ones, everybody out there, we're tired, we're still going."

OT Tytus Howard: Traded to Cleveland Browns (previous team: Houston Texans)

CB Trent McDuffie: Traded to Los Angeles Rams (previous team: Kansas City Chiefs)

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WR DJ Moore: Traded to Buffalo Bills (previous team: Chicago Bears)

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OT Tytus Howard: Traded to Cleveland Browns (previous team: Houston Texans)

1 / 4

2026 NFL offseason tracker: Player signings, trades

OT Tytus Howard: Traded to Cleveland Browns (previous team: Houston Texans)

2 / 4

2026 NFL offseason tracker: Player signings, trades

CB Trent McDuffie: Traded to Los Angeles Rams (previous team: Kansas City Chiefs)

3 / 4

2026 NFL offseason tracker: Player signings, trades

RB David Montgomery: Traded to Houston Texans (previous team: Detroit Lions)

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2026 NFL offseason tracker: Player signings, trades

WR DJ Moore: Traded to Buffalo Bills (previous team: Chicago Bears)

Landry and Fournette cracked a couple of jokes about Flowers' remarks but seemed to be in disbelief about the 25-year-old receiver's claim. It also prompted them to ask Flowers how the players managed such a grueling schedule.

"We don't," Flowers said. "Low key, that's why we had a lot of injuries – because of how we practiced, how we went. The load was heavy."

The Ravens dealt with a plethora of injuries early during the 2025 NFL season, and were without seven Pro Bowl players in Week 5 against the Houston Texans. Star quarterback Lamar Jackson missed four games because of a hamstring injury, which played a role in the Ravens posting a 1-5 record over their first six games.

However, the Ravens got healthier as the season progressed, as reflected by their 7-4 record over their final 11 games. Baltimore lost 183 total games to injury during the 2025 NFL season, which ranked 22nd league-wide and well below the average of 220 games missed, per Sports Info Solutions.

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Still, Flowers believes new coach Jesse Minter can help lower that number further as he becomes a first-time coach.

"[Minter] knows how we worked with Harbaugh," Flowers said. "So, he's like, 'You're going to get your work, but it's going to be a little easier on your body. You're going to be fresher for the game.'"

While Flowers was critical of Baltimore's practice habits under Harbaugh, he still lauded the Super Bowl 47-winner's ability to prepare his players for game action.

"How he prepared for games, he can get anybody prepared," Flowers said. "He's good at getting you ready to go play. Not even speeches, it's just the way we practiced. How he gets you prepared to go play and hit and do your job. It carries over to the game, without you even having to think about it."

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Zay Flowers says Ravens injuries caused by 'heavy' practice workload