Ravens’ attempt to land star players this offseason points to hungry GM
The Baltimore Ravens aren’t playing around when it comes to the 2020 season apparently. After getting so close to Super Bowl LIV, Ravens general manager Eric DeCosta has been quietly and carefully bold this offseason. With plenty of time remaining before the NFL’s trade deadline, it seems like Baltimore is on the hunt for the missing piece to get them there.
DeCosta and the Ravens wasted little time addressing their biggest flaw this offseason. Before free agency even opened up, Baltimore pulled off a trade with the Jacksonville Jaguars for Pro Bowl defensive end Calais Campbell. The Ravens even moved an impact player of their own, sending tight end Hayden Hurst to the Atlanta Falcons.
But it’s the deals Baltimore didn’t pull off that might be more telling of their hunger this year. The Ravens tried to trade for former Houston Texans wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins. At the close of training camp, Baltimore made a push for free-agent outside linebacker Jadeveon Clowney, even trying to pull off a sign-and-trade deal along with the Jaguars. While they failed to bring in either player, those are the types of deals that would have taken the Super Bowl-favorite Ravens to a completely different level.
DeCosta hasn’t been afraid of pulling off trades and searching for big names he can bring in. At the trade deadline last year, Baltimore traded linebacker Kenny Young and a fifth-round pick to the Los Angeles Rams in exchange for cornerback Marcus Peters. The move helped settle down a talented but underperforming Ravens defense, seeing the unit become the best in the league in the second half of the 2019 season.
With a salary cap that could actually decrease next season, some teams might be looking to preemptively free up some money for the 2021 season if things don’t start off well this season. And with quite a few selections in the 2021 NFL Draft and the seventh-most cap space next season, don’t be shocked if DeCosta and the Ravens look to make some other big moves ahead of the 2020 NFL trade deadline.
Baltimore is making it clear to the 31 other teams around the NFL: If you’ve got a star player you’re trying to move and the price is right, give the Ravens a call.
