Cap room for him? Not really, but moves could be made.
Draft capital for him? Maybe, but we're awfully low in the draft.
Tunsil trade (For record-keeping purposes, the trade saw the Dolphins acquire first-round picks in 2020 and 2021 and a second-round pick in 2021 along with offensive tackle Julién Davenport and defensive back Johnson Bademosi in exchange for Tunsil, wide receiver Kenny Stills, a 2020 fourth-round pick and a 2021 sixth-round selection.)
It only took the Ravens a little over a year to learn their selection of Orlando Brown was a wise one, but they've met a new challenge with the tackle that could be their last.
Brown has expressed his desire to be traded, NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport reported Wednesday. After spending the majority of 2020 on the left side in place of the injured Ronnie Stanley, Brown has found his comfort zone and does not want to return to the right side. He'll only play for a team that will line him up at his preferred left tackle position, per Rapoport.
Rapoport added the Ravens value Brown significantly and would need major compensation in order to do a deal.
Brown's background is on the left side, but he ended up in Baltimore as a right tackle after a poor pre-draft showing saw him slide from a first-round projection to an eventual third-round pick of the Ravens. He blossomed in 2019 and especially in 2020 after switching to the left side to replace Stanley, earning his second straight trip to the Pro Bowl -- and first as an initial selection. Thanks to Brown's quick adjustment to the left side of the line, Baltimore didn't lose much in offensive production following Stanley's injury, finishing as the league's No. 1 rushing offense for a second straight season.
Brown's success on the left side and desire to remain there might very well also be tied to the financial ramifications of the tackle position. As it currently stands, there is a $5 million per year difference between the league's highest-paid right tackle (Philadelphia's Lane Johnson) and left tackle (Green Bay's David Bakhtiari). Of the top 10 highest-paid tackles in the NFL (in terms of average salary per year), only two -- Johnson and Las Vegas' Trent Brown -- are right tackles.
Orlando Brown missed out on significant money typically afforded to first-round picks right around the moment when he racked the bar after just 14 bench-press reps during a nightmarish 2018 NFL Scouting Combine. He's made a little over $1.8 million in base salary total in his first three seasons, and though he will see a significant boost in 2021 (base salary of $3.38 million) due to the structure of his rookie deal, that's still an incredibly far cry from where tackles of his level land in compensation ranking.
After demonstrating his ability to effectively handle the transition from right to left tackle -- a return to his roots, essentially -- Brown is in a prime position to capitalize financially and beyond. He'll maximize his earning potential by remaining a left tackle, and he'll probably enjoy playing the game a bit more in a stance and vantage point that's more familiar to him, anyway.
If that doesn't fit in Baltimore, the Ravens will have to move him. And though this isn't exactly the best way to ensure maximum leverage in a deal, they'll probably still get a haul for him. [Reply]
Originally Posted by staylor26:
Oh I didn’t mean that in a bad way, it would just be funny because I was pounding the table for this guy when he was considered a day 3 pick by most.
He’s a legitimate 2nd round prospect now. The draft comes at you fast.
By who? Just curious is all.
Huddle Report has him in the 5th yet and Brugler has him in the 4th.
Scouts Inc./Kiper/McShay still showing him as a UDFA.
I don't really see anybody in the "who's who" putting him there but maybe you can point me to some goodies.
All of them have my boy Spencer Brown solidly in the 3rd round to very early 4th somewhere and Forsythe noticeably below. [Reply]
The last time Veach traded up to get "his guy" - a 2nd team all-SEC player with a high floor, solid college production, scheme and position versatility yet without eye-popping athleticism or room to develop - we got Breeland Speaks.
Was I mad about that pick? No.
Was it a GOOD pick? Not at all.
Do people really want to see that mistake repeated? Because those are the kinds of guys we're talking about in the latter half of the first round. The only REAL possibility to escape that is to trade all the way up into the top half of the first and take Darrisaw, which I just can't see because it would cost way too much.
The best course of action is to stay put and watch for someone like Spencer Brown to drop to us. We need a guy with premium LT upside. If we can eventually be BETTER than Eric Fisher at LT, we accomplished nothing. [Reply]
Originally Posted by htismaqe:
It just occurred to me to look at this way:
The last time Veach traded up to get "his guy" - a 2nd team all-SEC player with a high floor, solid college production, scheme and position versatility yet without eye-popping athleticism or room to develop - we got Breeland Speaks.
Was I mad about that pick? No.
Was it a GOOD pick? Not at all.
Do people really want to see that mistake repeated? Because those are the kinds of guys we're talking about in the latter half of the first round. The only REAL possibility to escape that is to trade all the way up into the top half of the first and take Darrisaw, which I just can't see because it would cost way too much.
The best course of action is to stay put and watch for someone like Spencer Brown to drop to us. We need a guy with premium LT upside. If we can eventually be BETTER than Eric Fisher at LT, we accomplished nothing.
Originally Posted by Superturtle:
Read what you posted. Carefully.
We cut a pro bowler. Are we going to replace him with something less than a pro bowler?
I've seen SEVERAL people here express the sentiment that we need an upgrade from Fisher.
So, knowing that I know EXACTLY what I wrote and why I wrote it, why don't you explain to me what YOUR issue is with it. Because I'm merely repeating what I've seen posted here and building on it. [Reply]
Originally Posted by Superturtle:
"If we can eventually be BETTER than Eric Fisher at LT, we accomplished nothing."
Nani?
Okay, let me re-word. First, that should say CAN'T not "can", so that's a typo. Also, to me, an "accomplishment" implies something that moves the needle. Maintaining the status quo isn't an accomplishment in my eyes.
If we can't eventually do BETTER than Eric Fisher, what exactly have we accomplished? [Reply]
Originally Posted by htismaqe:
Okay, let me re-word. First, that should say CAN'T not "can", so that's a typo. Also, to me, an "accomplishment" implies something that moves the needle. Maintaining the status quo isn't an accomplishment in my eyes.
If we can't eventually do BETTER than Eric Fisher, what exactly have we accomplished?
I know. I was antagonizing you for your typo. [Reply]
