Minter: Ravens could add FA WR

Flowers entered the season at the tail end of a rehab program for the hamstring strain he suffered on August 31st. He logged two full practice sessions before dominating the Colts early on in Week 1. Unfortunately, Flowers balled too hard, aggravating the hamstring injury in the process. He is unlikely to play this week, but his return to practice today is a great sign for his Week 3 availability. The Ravens placed WR Ja’Kobi Lane (wrist) on injured reserve this week. This means WRs Rashod Bateman, Elijah Sarratt and Devontez Walker could be asked to step up, although TE Mark Andrews will probably serve as the team’s top pass-catching option.

Early reports regarding Flowers’ health and Week 2 availability were positive, but two missed practices put him firmly in the questionable camp, with a lean toward sitting. Flowers and TE Mark Andrews banked six targets apiece last week and were the only Ravens who cleared three. With WR Ja’Kobi Lane (wrist) on injured reserve, Andrews should handle another sizable workload. Ravens WRs Elijah Sarratt and Devontez Walker should both be active if Flowers sits.

Lane underwent surgery to address a fracture in his wrist and will now miss at least four games on short-term injured reserve. He will be eligible to return in Week 6. Ravens No. 1 WR Zay Flowers (hamstring) is also nursing an injury. Theoretically, fellow rookie WR Elijah Sarratt should be active in Week 2 against the Saints, though it is unclear if he would have a meaningful role if Flowers plays.

Garafolo’s colleague, Ian Rapoport, adds that Lane will be sidelined for “several weeks.” This is an unfortunate development for both the player and the team. Fellow Ravens WR Zay Flowers aggravated the hamstring injury he recently rehabbed as well. Expect rookie WR Elijah Sarratt to be active in Week 2 against the Saints.

This role comes with positives and negatives. Lining up in the slot gives the receiver a chance to run routes against linebackers and safeties. It can also mean he is forced to leave the field when the offense switches to two-wide receiver sets — a role that fellow rookie, boundary WR Ja’Kobi Lane, will likely get the first crack at. Sarratt logged 2,435 snaps lined up on the perimeter and 396 lined up in the slot in college, but he was very efficient on a per-route basis in the latter role. Sarratt’s training camp progress is worth following closely. The slot role will give him the chance to earn PPR-friendly lay-up targets, but he may need to command at least a mild-to-moderate perimeter snap share to become a matchup-based FLEX starter.

Sarratt will compete with third-round rookie WR Ja’Kobi Lane, plus incumbent WRs Devontez Walker and LaJohntay Wester for No. 3 wide receiver duties. Per Spotrac, Sarratt’s deal is worth more than $5.4 million and includes a $1.18 million signing bonus. Sarratt scored 15 touchdowns during Indiana’s college football championship run last year.

Sarratt will likely take on rotational boundary duties in the run-first Ravens offense. Sarratt (6'2 1/2/210) was a zero-star recruit who took his only scholarship offer to play football at St. Francis. He went for 700 yards and scored 13 times without even starting in all of his team’s games. After being named an FCS Freshman All-American, Sarratt transferred to James Madison to play under Curt Cignetti. The move worked out flawlessly for everyone involved. Sarratt led his new team with 1,191 yards on 82 grabs and JMU’s success earned Cignetti a new job at Indiana. Cignetti, of course, had to bring his WR1 to Bloomington as well. Sarratt led the Hoosiers in all receiving categories as a junior. He would have done so a second time had he not missed two games in 2025 with a hamstring issue. Instead, he finished just behind teammate Omar Cooper Jr. in catches and yards, though he bested Cooper in touchdowns. A 65-830-15 receiving line is still an outstanding season, and he put a bow on his final campaign with three postseason touchdowns during Indiana’s run to the National Championship.

Sarratt spent “several quality moments” with Colts WR coach Reggie Wayne and the team’s local Pro Day earlier this month. Chappell wonders if the meeting “was a preview of coming attractions.” Per Chappell, EDGE is the Colts’ top need, followed by an NFL-ready linebacker. They do not possess a first-round pick and are armed with just one apiece in Rounds 3-6, plus two in the seventh. Although Chappell views linebacker as the No. 2 need, he will still lobby for a wide receiver in the third or fourth round. Adding another piece to the passing game puzzle would benefit QB Daniel Jones, who is coming off a season-ending Achilles tendon rupture. Were Sarratt to land in Indianapolis, it could be tough for him to produce fantasy-relevant numbers in year one, competing with TE Tyler Warren, WR Alec Pierce and WR Josh Downs.

Miller says the Raiders’ No. 1 overall pick will be Indiana QB Fernando Mendoza. The Raiders will then use their early-season-round pick to “support” their rookie quarterback. He notes that Washington WR Denzel Boston has been “connected” to the Raiders already. Miller’s colleague, Ryan McFadden chimes in to say that reuniting Mendoza with Indiana WR Elijah Sarratt “would also be ideal.”