There were some big-name moves around the NFL today as the 4PM EST trade deadline approached. Despite some smoke, nothing materialized in the form of an acquisition for the Baltimore Ravens.
RSR staff react to the day’s news here.
Darin McCann
As far as trade deadlines go, it probably didn’t have the sheer star power a lot of fans were hoping for, but there were some moves that could become important as teams start focusing on the back halves of their schedules. The Ravens were said to be active in talks, but there obviously wasn’t one of those “right-player-right-price” deals that Eric DeCosta has pretty steadily made during his tenure. With the big-ticket free-agents the Ravens are looking at just from their own roster this offseason, saving that draft capital isn’t the worst thing.
Kevin McNelis
Alright, well… sometimes no news is good news.
If Baltimore’s lack of movement shows us anything, it’s that they have faith in the guys in the locker room, and Coach Harbaugh referenced some guys on their way to recovery. Maybe they believe that those reinforcements in the form of depth guys like Pepe Williams and Malik Hamm will be enough to maintain success. The Ravens are 6-2 with no glaring holes, tied for the best record in the AFC, and they beat themselves in both losses. I understand wanting to aggressively go all-in like the Niners did, but I’m ok with not overspending.
Rasul Douglas heading to the Bills would’ve been an intriguing move if he’d instead come to Baltimore, especially with a low asking price, but his cap number would probably have necessitated an extension, and maybe the Ravens were blown away by him as a long-term piece. Otherwise, Washington’s EDGEs would have meant yet another mouth to feed for possible contract extensions in the coming offseason.
If the front office has faith, I have faith.
Rob Shields
The trading deadline came and went without the Ravens making a trade. It sounds like they tried for a RB but teams who love their RBs but have no interest  in paying them didn’t want to trade them. This is why those teams won’t be winning anything.
We have to remember that the Ravens have added Jadeveon Clowney close to the start of the season and added Kyle Van Noy during it. We have to also remember that they will be getting guys off of IR as well, so their additions have already come and are coming.  Maybe they also sign Ndomukong Suh? Either way, while I wanted a RB, I wouldn’t have traded any pick higher than a 4th and it sounds like no one was really available.
It was a relatively quiet deadline compared to last year but the Commanders did ship off their edge rushers. I don’t get what Chicago was doing getting Montez Sweat for a second round pick but the 49ers made a great move for Chase Young. Their defense hasn’t been as good recently and this gives them more pass rush, which they have lacked.
Seattle made this weekend’s game for the Ravens harder by getting Leonard Williams but I think they gave up a lot.
Brennan Stewart
So there wasn’t a big blockbuster trade from the Ravens like last year when they acquired Roquan Smith— oh well, they didn’t need to make a move anyways.
Baltimore did enough in the offseason to stack itself on both sides of the ball. Sure, there wasn’t anyone brought on to replace J.K. Dobbins, but Gus Edwards has proven to be more than capable of handling the role. (It certainly would have been interesting to see what that deal for Derrick Henry would have been, though). On the bright side, the Ravens still have their draft capital to work with.
Looking at how the rest of the league handled the deadline, the Commanders made the biggest moves by losing Montez Sweat and Chase Young, no doubt signaling that the organization is in full rebuild mode. After today, I have no doubts that the NFC Championship game will have the 49ers in it, despite the team’s current three-game losing streak.
As to how these other trades affect the Ravens, well here’s something to consider:
Ravens remaining opponents include teams making splashes this week.
Week 9: SEA – DL Leonard Williams
Week 15: JAX – G Ezra Cleveland
Week 16: SF – EDGE Chase YoungWeek 10: CLE – WR James Proche, RB Kenyan Drake
— Russell St. Report (@RussellStReport) October 31, 2023
Look for these names in the coming matchups. I’m most interested to see how James Proche and Kenyan Drake will fit in as Browns, but I’m not expecting much from either of the two.
3 Responses
It was right player, right price and this year the Price Was Not Right. Eric is stockpiling and hoarding his 2024 draft picks and, given the number of UFAs the Ravens will have at the start of the NFL year, I don’t blame him. He’ll need every single one of those picks, playing on rookie contracts, to replace the free agents he can’t or won’t keep. Better that than give up a 2nd rounder to a D-end or RB who will probably be walking in 2025.
RSR Staff, I’ve looked over the 2024 salary cap numbers and am wondering if there is a scenario for keeping Justin Madubuike. I know the cap is tight, but they also say anything is possible and where there’s a will, there’s a way.
Justin is exactly the core player the Ravens covet. Ballpark numbers are 5-years, $100 million.
Thanks,
B_A
Tells me two things:
DeCosta didn’t think anybody out there would make enough difference to warrant the cost of doing business.
Second, he is paying attention to what it will take to try to retain some of the talent he already has next year..