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OTL: Ravens Fail to Address Biggest Need at Trade Deadline

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Harbs EDC presser OTL
photo: Twitter/@Ravens
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Tuesday was an eventful day for a number of reasons, but we’ll start with some congratulations that are in order, with DT Brandon Williams officially retiring as a Raven.

Williams was a fantastic player for a number of years in Baltimore, and will be remembered fondly by fans for the impact he had along the D-Line of many stout Ravens fronts.

Enjoy retirement, Brandon.

Alongside the Williams news were a flurry of trade rumors across the league, with the NFL’s deadline hitting on Tuesday afternoon. I’ve listed some of the more intriguing moves here in case anything was missed in the craziness:

  1. Pittsburgh traded with the Jets for WR Mike Williams, and with the Packers for EDGE Preston Smith
  2. The Saints sent CB Marshon Lattimore to Washington.
  3. The Panthers traded WR Jonathan Mingo to Dallas
  4. The Lions acquired former Raven Za’Darius Smith from Cleveland

It’s tough seeing the Steelers upgrade fairly well, but the Ravens were heavily involved in a number of rumors themselves:

And, after all that, they brought in (drumroll, please):

Given all the rumors, fans are fairly unhappy with the 2024 deadline haul. With a roster that’s clearly one of the best in the league, the expectation is for the franchise to be all in for a Super Bowl. Unfortunately, these additions – albeit essentially free – don’t quite cut it:

In fact, even ESPN names that frequently commend the Ravens organization were calling out the glaring need for pass rush help:

Ultimately, it is what it is. Baltimore still has an uber-talented roster with the potential along the defense to clean things up. I personally feel that’s unlikely to happen without a shot in the arm, but what do I know? It’s up to these guys now:

Regardless of how the pass rush produces, though, it’s difficult to feel energized by the additions that were made. Although both were brought in on the cheap, Diontae Johnson felt like a luxury pickup while Tre’Davious White, well:

There’s been plenty written about how Johnson can help the offense, but on the flip side of the White trade, he is an established, veteran corner that – per Louis Riddick earlier – fits well in Baltimore. I loved hearing the glowing review Riddick gave on White, but is he enough to patch up the back-end for DC Zach Orr? Some fans do think so:

On paper, Kyle is right. But in terms of performance, the lack of the pass rush leaves this group exposed, no matter how talented they may be.

Knowing the asking price for Za’Darius Smith (though an intra-division trade would have increased that), the rumors swirling about Calais Campbell, and the fire sale that’s upcoming in Carolina and New Orleans, the reality of the deadline is tough to swallow.

Still, we move forward toward what should be an exhilarating Thursday night matchup with Cincinnati. While the play itself will be gripping, we’ll also see the Baltimore’s new Purple Rising uniforms for the first time:

And most importantly, we’ll add a new column on the 2024 Uniform Tracker:

All that said, what were your thoughts on Tuesday’s NFL Trade Deadline? Sound off in the comments!

4 Responses

  1. I don’t believe the fan base cares where it comes from but we would like to have a pass rush. Simply put, EDC has invested in a lot of talent at the position. That talent needs to elevate it’s game. I wanted a pass rusher too. I don’t want to be hard on White (he just got here), but I don’t get the need. We were stacked at DB, now we’re doubly stacked at DB. I believe this Coaching staff will get everything together and working like it should. With HC Harbaugh at the helm I’m confident in this football team. I truly wouldn’t want a different HC either. EDC is known for his diligence, so I’m going to trust that these moves were what was needed. I’m going to trust the FO and the Coaching staff and just enjoy the rest of the season.

    Reply

  2. Man we are married to a philosophy. I’ve never seen this team sell out and go for broke in the draft or free agency. Good moves? Yes. Strategic? Yes. But all out the way the Rams did a few years ago? Never.

    Reply

  3. I get the reactions about the lack of a big deal before the deadline. I also get that in football it’s often hit or miss starting with the draft.
    For instance every time a team misses early in the draft, especially in the first round, it sets the team back. Look at the teams that have missed with drafting QBs in the first round and not finding that guy. Look at the Titans as an example. 2 misses with Willis and Levis. Instead of being able to fill other needs they have to continually try to find a QB.
    Now the same could be said about our Edge/DE position issues. We have tried for years now to find that stud. We have Oweh, Ojabo, Robinson, and Isaac and none has proven to be that #1.
    As a result we have spent a lot of capital on the position in the draft and had to overlook other positions of need. With none of them standing out EDC then had to add through FA to improve the position.
    It’s not easy especially when we are always drafting later in the rounds. There’s no guarantees in the draft. It’s hit or miss. It’s true we have tried and missed to fill the void in the draft. If just one of these players was that #1 guy that many teams have then we wouldn’t be so upset with things now.
    So maybe it’s just that snowball effect. First we had issues with the WR position, now it’s the Edge position. Maybe we get it right sometime and we don’t have to continually look for outside help.

    Reply

  4. Maybe after the season EDC will provide some context. But I imagine it’s a combination of things: hard up against the cap, wanting to hold draft picks, faith in fixing what they have, and maybe even some new reluctance to pull the trigger on a big deal after Marcus Williams (and maybe even Roquan Smith) has proved to be a questionable investment. How do you justify yet another big splash on the defensive side?

    Reply

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4 Responses

  1. I don’t believe the fan base cares where it comes from but we would like to have a pass rush. Simply put, EDC has invested in a lot of talent at the position. That talent needs to elevate it’s game. I wanted a pass rusher too. I don’t want to be hard on White (he just got here), but I don’t get the need. We were stacked at DB, now we’re doubly stacked at DB. I believe this Coaching staff will get everything together and working like it should. With HC Harbaugh at the helm I’m confident in this football team. I truly wouldn’t want a different HC either. EDC is known for his diligence, so I’m going to trust that these moves were what was needed. I’m going to trust the FO and the Coaching staff and just enjoy the rest of the season.

    Reply

  2. Man we are married to a philosophy. I’ve never seen this team sell out and go for broke in the draft or free agency. Good moves? Yes. Strategic? Yes. But all out the way the Rams did a few years ago? Never.

    Reply

  3. I get the reactions about the lack of a big deal before the deadline. I also get that in football it’s often hit or miss starting with the draft.
    For instance every time a team misses early in the draft, especially in the first round, it sets the team back. Look at the teams that have missed with drafting QBs in the first round and not finding that guy. Look at the Titans as an example. 2 misses with Willis and Levis. Instead of being able to fill other needs they have to continually try to find a QB.
    Now the same could be said about our Edge/DE position issues. We have tried for years now to find that stud. We have Oweh, Ojabo, Robinson, and Isaac and none has proven to be that #1.
    As a result we have spent a lot of capital on the position in the draft and had to overlook other positions of need. With none of them standing out EDC then had to add through FA to improve the position.
    It’s not easy especially when we are always drafting later in the rounds. There’s no guarantees in the draft. It’s hit or miss. It’s true we have tried and missed to fill the void in the draft. If just one of these players was that #1 guy that many teams have then we wouldn’t be so upset with things now.
    So maybe it’s just that snowball effect. First we had issues with the WR position, now it’s the Edge position. Maybe we get it right sometime and we don’t have to continually look for outside help.

    Reply

  4. Maybe after the season EDC will provide some context. But I imagine it’s a combination of things: hard up against the cap, wanting to hold draft picks, faith in fixing what they have, and maybe even some new reluctance to pull the trigger on a big deal after Marcus Williams (and maybe even Roquan Smith) has proved to be a questionable investment. How do you justify yet another big splash on the defensive side?

    Reply

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Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

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Aidan Griesser
Aidan Griesser is a student at Boston College but don't worry, the evil influence of Boston sports can't sway his devotion to the Baltimore Ravens and Orioles! Aidan's from Annapolis and previously worked with the B-More Opinionated podcast for two years. When it comes to sports writing, Aidan is interested in the ins-and-outs of every league and has an affinity for hot takes!
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