The Baltimore Ravens have gone through a complete identity change over the last year. The biggest change was the shocking firing of longtime head coach John Harbaugh back in January. He was one of the longest-tenured coaches in the league after staying with the Ravens for 18 seasons and winning a Super Bowl in 2012.
But wide receiver Zay Flowers said on a recent episode of the “4th and South” podcast that Harbaugh’s practices were hard on the players and contributed to their uptick in injuries.
TOP NEWS
“Full pads all the time,” Flowers said. “However many practices in pads you can get, every single one. We’re doing one-on-ones in Week 17. Week 17, we’re doing one-on-ones, everybody out there, we’re tired, we’re still going… That’s why we had a lot of injuries, because of how we practiced, how we went. The load was heavy.”
His comments are backed by at least a little evidence as the Ravens were haunted by injuries all season and finished the 2025 campaign with an 8-9 record. Star quarterback Lamar Jackson has battled health issues his entire career with Baltimore and the team had nearly a dozen played out at one point last season.
While they were able to get relatively healthy near the end of the season, it was too late for them to make a real playoff push.
Flowers went on to say that new head coach Jesse Minter will be taking a different approach to how the team practices.
“[Minter] knows how we worked with Harbaugh,” he 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.'”
With a new head coach, new uniforms and seemingly a new practice plan, the Ravens appear to be a completely new team heading into next season.
James Parker contributed to this story.
