WR Zay Flowers absent from Ravens practice Wednesday as postseason preparation begins
Ravens rookie wide receiver Zay Flower did not practice Wednesday, the team’s first of the postseason, as he continues to recover from a calf injury.
Cornerback Marlon Humphrey (calf) also did not practice but was present in street clothes. Linebackers Odafe Oweh, Del’Shawn Phillips and Malik Harrison and tight end Charlie Kolar missed practice, too.
Several other players — including quarterback Lamar Jackson and inside linebacker Roquan Smith — who rested Saturday against the Pittsburgh Steelers returned to practice as the Ravens readied for the playoffs. Safety Kyle Hamilton (knee), right guard Kevin Zeitler (quad/knee) and safety Geno Stone, who left Saturday’s game with a knee injury, all returned to fully participate in practice.
As the No. 1 seed in the AFC, the Ravens receive a bye through wild-card weekend of the postseason. They’ll play at home Jan. 20 or 21 against a team to be determined in the divisional round.
Despite a loss to the Steelers in a less-than-meaningful game in Week 18, the Ravens managed to avoid significant injury. They’ll hope to enter the playoffs with a strong bill of health, including from Humphrey and Flowers, who tallied a team-high 858 yards and five touchdowns during the regular season.
Meanwhile, practice squad running back Dalvin Cook made his first appearance Wednesday after the four-time Pro Bowl selection was signed by the Ravens last week. Cook, 28, rushed for just 214 yards in 15 games before being released by the New York Jets but had recorded more than 1,000 rushing yards in the previous four seasons with the Minnesota Vikings.
“Dalvin Cook is a high pedigree player, a highly decorated player, and he’s still got talent and ability,” coach John Harbaugh said.
“We view him as potentially a very valuable weapon for our offense.”
