By Alex Woodward
The NFL trade deadline came and went in dissapointing fashion on Tuesday after a lot of hype around a possible flurry of moves. Many Ravens fans were upset that the Ravens didn't make a trade for a pass rusher before the deadline but that was actually the smartest thing they could have done.
The Ravens front office is always trying to improve in any aspect they can and that has been perfectly clear with how they have handled the personnel changes on defense. They have players signed off the street that are making significant impacts on the defense and they traded away Kenny Young and a 5th rounder to the Rams in exchange for pro bowl cornerback Marcus Peters. It's not as if they've done nothing to help improve their short term chances of making a deep run in the playoffs but it would be idiotic to give up top draft capital for a pass rusher that likely would have been a rental.
There were reports that the Ravens were interested in a trade for Jets safety Jamal Adams but couldn't come to an agreement. It was a bit surprising to see them pursuing a safety when fans thought the top priority would be an upgrade in the pass rush. It's a good thing they didn't trade for Adams because it would have cost far too much to acquire him.
The asking price for Jets S Jamal Adams, I'm told, was shade under what the Jaguars got for Jalen Ramsey. Which is to say, they were asking for a LOT.
— Albert Breer (@AlbertBreer)
October 29, 2019 Eric DeCosta places a very high value on his draft picks and I doubt he was willing to part with multiple draft picks especially two first-rounders. The Ravens are in a prime position to seize control of the AFC North not just for this year but for the years to come. They have a young core on offense built around Lamar Jackson and they're trying to build one of the top secondaries in the NFL. Also, the rest of the AFC North is in transition: the Steelers are nearing the end of the Ben Roethlisberger era, the Bengals are terrible and don't seem like they're ready to admit it's time to start fresh and the Browns might have the names but they still haven't quite figured out how to be a winning franchise.
The Ravens aren't desperate and desperate teams are the types of teams that trade multiple draft picks for a chance at making a run in the short term. Look at the Texans, they own in my opinion, the worst trade of the 2019 season. They sent two first round draft picks plus a second rounder to the Dolphins in order to acquire Laremy Tunsil and Kenny Stills. That is an incredibly steep price for two players that don't elevate Houston to the top Super Bowl contenders in the AFC. DeCosta isn't foolish and won't hemmorhage the teams long term pieces for a chance at success in the short term. This is already a good football team but I wouldn't say they're one pass rusher away from becoming Super Bowl favorites. They have the right players for their new foundation of the roster and they will undoubtedly use the draft as one of their top avenues to find new talent. It's not like there were teams shipping pass rushers left and right yesterday for cheap price tags. Most teams don't want to part with their top pass rushers and if they are willing to get rid of them...no one is getting them for cheap. It makes more sense for the Ravens to take what they have now and ride it to the playoffs and build for the future than it does to go "all-in" for a pass rusher and a run at a Super Bowl. I trust DeCosta to build this organization into a perrenial contender and you should too. A trade at the deadline wasn't the right move to make.
