Two Trades the Ravens Need to Make
As the Tuesday trade deadline approaches, the Ravens sit atop the AFC North comfortably at 5-2, three games above the second place Cleveland Browns. They will begin to be tested as they enter the toughest part of their schedule in the upcoming weeks.
The root of their success has been thanks to the huge leaps Lamar Jackson has made in his first full season as the QB1. The Ravens find themselves in a position to be buyers at the deadline in Eric DeCosta’s first year as the decision maker.
Assuming they will be healthy coming out of their bye, there are a few areas that could be addressed in order to capitalize on their successful season thus far.
Under long time former General manager Ozzie Newsome, the Ravens have leaned more towards passive approach in building the team. When it comes to trading due to valuing draft capital to sustain success and improve over short term solutions at the price of a long term asset.
Eric DeCosta has already made 5 trades since taking over, and I don’t believe he is done yet.
Robby Anderson WR, Jets
Not necessarily a household name to the common football fan, Robby Anderson has actually been pretty successful over his short career in NY. He’s made his name as a deep threat, and solid out of the slot despite poor QB play.
Anderson enjoyed a break out season in in his second season in 2017, starting 15 games and amassing 941 yards on 63 catches. He sports a respectable 14.7 Yards Per Catch over his 4 year career.
After somewhat falling out of rotation in the 2019 due to lack of success offensively, the Jets may be interested in getting what they can for the soon to be Unrestricted free agent, which could drive the asking price down.
It’s been clear that the Ravens Wide Receiver group has been less than spectacular this season, outside of Hollywood Brown, who is nursing an ankle injury.
The lack of a reliable deep threat allows the opposing defense to play closer to the line of scrimmage limiting the passing offense. Making a deal for Anderson would open the offense up and keep defenses guessing.
Vic Beasley DE/OLB, Falcons
Vic Beasley is a former 1st round selection who hasn’t quite lived up to expectations as a former top 10 pick.
After enjoying a break out sophomore season in 2016 tallying 15.5 sacks, Beasley looked to be a star in the making. The next two seasons, he would only get to the QB 10 times combined.
My hunch tells me this has more to do with a Falcons team that is a mess from the inside out, more than it does with Beasley ability.
Joining a respected defense where he is more of a compliment and not expected to shoulder the load could bode well for Beasley.
The Falcons are on the books for a cap hit of 12.8 million dollars for Beasley this off season which gives them even more reason to move on. This, along with his impending free agency, the price tag would allow the Ravens to give up less for the pass rusher.
The problem is, the Ravens only have around 2 million in cap space as it stands, making this trade more difficult. However, contracts of Tony Jefferson, Willie Snead, and Brandon Williams could be restructured to make the trade work for them if the Ravens are all in this season.
I believe that the Ravens should go all in and get these guys and capitalize on their success. You never know when that championship window will close.
Take a look at the Jim Harbaugh coaches 49ers. They looked like they were poised to go on a decade long tear after losing to the Ravens in the super bowl. Before you knew it, they were picking Nick Bosa with the second pick in the draft.
We can only hope Eric DeCosta continues to be aggressive and get these two low cost high reward players.
