On Wednesday Night, the first injury report of the week was released for the matchup between the Oregon Ducks and the UCLA Bruins. While everyone was concerned about the status of Dante Moore, and for good reason as he'll be out, there were also several other notable players with a status on the report. Among the most notable mentions is starting safety Aaron Flowers who's listed as doubtful.
Dante Moore is officially listed as OUT
— Oregon Updates (@oregon__updates) October 8, 2026
Aaron Flowers is doubtful, Jalen Lott is NOT listed 👀 pic.twitter.com/utB7OYvs2E
Given that Aaron Flowers is in his second year as a starter at safety, the Ducks may be heading into this game without an experienced piece in the secondary. While Oregon may be down a starter, it may force the staff to try fixing a hole in the defense.
Oregon may finally experiment with new safety looks with Aaron Flowers doubtful
One of the biggest issues for the Oregon defense early in the season has been the fact that the safety play has not been up to par. The Ducks added the top ranked safety in the Transfer Portal Koi Perich to plug the hole left behind by Dillon Thieneman, but the position hasn't been a strength like it was last season.
Koi Perich has looked lost in coverage at times while he hasn't been nearly as effective as Thieneman in run support. Aaron Flowers has seemingly taken a step back after playing alongside an elite safety last year, and he hasn't helped the Ducks struggles' on the back end.
If Aaron Flowers isn't able to play against UCLA, Oregon fans may finally get what they've wished for with a shakeup at the safety position. Oregon has stacked elite recruiting classes under Dan Lanning, and there's truly no shortage of talent at the position.
The most likely safety to jump into a bigger role if Aaron Flowers misses time is veteran Peyton Woodyard. In the USC game with Flowers exiting with an upper body injury, Woodyard outsnapped the starter for the first time all season, and it may lead to a change moving forward. Woodyard played a much better game vs the Trojans than Flowers, and with his experience on this team, he may be the best option.
The player the fanbase wants to see the most is 5-star freshman Jett Washington who did play 4 snaps vs. USC. Washington flashed his potential in the Portland State game with a pair of diving interceptions, and the talent is clearly through the roof. Thrusting Washington into a massive role in a pivotal game for the Ducks may be a massive risk, but we'll likely start to see his snap counts rise week over week, especially if Flowers is sidelined.
Trey McNutt is another player the fanbase would love to see, but based on the limited time he's played in games like the Portland State game, it's hard to see him vaulting up the depth chart into a big role.
The two lowest graded defenders on Oregon's defense were Aaron Flowers and Koi Perich against USC, but with their experience and Perich's upside it was hard to see a change being made. This weekend may force Dan Lanning and the staff to pivot to a new safety next to Perich, and it may lead to the Ducks solidifying a position of weakness.
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