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 Couch-Potato:
has me convinced we stay put at 31
I think we should. Veech has panicked a bit in his trade ups. IMO, he does better when he stays put. 5 picks in the top 150 could do some damage this year. [Reply]
Originally Posted by Coogs:
I think we should. Veech has panicked a bit in his trade ups. IMO, he does better when he stays put. 5 picks in the top 150 could do some damage this year.
Just think how much pressure he has now. It’s his responsibility to protect the highest paid player to ever play in the NFL. I don’t see him “settling” for a player he’s not confident with. The pressure is more intense this year than any other year. [Reply]
Originally Posted by In58men:
Just think how much pressure he has now. It’s his responsibility to protect the highest paid player to ever play in the NFL. I don’t see him “settling” for a player he’s not confident with. The pressure is more intense this year than any other year.
It is, and I think you’re right in that Veach is going to either get the LT he wants and believes can start right away, or go a different direction, and throw numbers at the position (ex: Okung and Fisher or Villanueva and Okung) for the 2021 season. It’s possible he drafts a LT later on as developmental, but Veach is still carefully in win now mode. [Reply]
Originally Posted by In58men:
Just think how much pressure he has now. It’s his responsibility to protect the highest paid player to ever play in the NFL. I don’t see him “settling” for a player he’s not confident with. The pressure is more intense this year than any other year.
I'm a bit worried he is going to trade up. Hope he doesn't. [Reply]
So now we have to be worried about Veach trading up because it’s a guaranteed failure based on the fact that it hasn’t yet worked out for him in a very small sample size? [Reply]
So now we have to be worried about Veach trading up because it’s a guaranteed failure based on the fact that it hasn’t yet worked out for him in a very small sample size?
Not exactly what I said. I think he could have got both Speaks and Hardman without a trade up. We will never know for sure. But that is JMO. We have 5 picks in the top 150. Top 144 to be exact. Could do some damage with 5 selections in a draft that appears to be deep. [Reply]
Originally Posted by scho63:
What's the chance at 31 there's a load of O-line talent and we trade back?
If there are still two o-linemen and a reciever or DE they like sitting there at 31, I'd stay right there and take one of them and enjoy that fifth year option you have on the first rounder. [Reply]
Originally Posted by Coogs:
Not exactly what I said. I think he could have got both Speaks and Hardman without a trade up. We will never know for sure. But that is JMO. We have 5 picks in the top 150. Top 144 to be exact. Could do some damage with 5 selections in a draft that appears to be deep.
You do have a point that others have made, as well.
When Veach has traded up for need, he hasn’t been effective. He moved up for Speaks because (his own admission) Speaks was the last of group 2 of DEs with pass rush ability. He moved up foe Hardman because of perceived need due to possible loss of Tyreek Hill.
Let’s hope if we do move up due to need, we move up for the right player that provides the type of impact to the team we would get from staying put and making multiple selections with their own individual value. [Reply]
Originally Posted by BossChief:
You do have a point that others have made, as well.
When Veach has traded up for need, he hasn’t been effective. He moved up for Speaks because (his own admission) Speaks was the last of group 2 of DEs with pass rush ability. He moved up foe Hardman because of perceived need due to possible loss of Tyreek Hill.
Let’s hope if we do move up due to need, we move up for the right player that provides the type of impact to the team we would get from staying put and making multiple selections with their own individual value.
Didn’t Veach select Speaks before we had an overhaul on defense? I feel like he deserves a pass on Speaks because of the situation at the time. Hardman wasn’t so great though. [Reply]
Originally Posted by In58men:
Didn’t Veach select Speaks before we had an overhaul on defense? I feel like he deserves a pass on Speaks because of the situation at the time. Hardman wasn’t so great though.
I don't fault him for taking Speaks. I just think he panicked a bit when he probably could have picked Speaks without a trade up being necessary. Obviously we will never know if I am correct. [Reply]
Originally Posted by Coogs:
I don't fault him for taking Speaks. I just think he panicked a bit when he probably could have picked Speaks without a trade up being necessary. Obviously we will never know I am correct.
Yeah I agree, the trade up was unnecessary. I think he would have been there as well. [Reply]
I don’t want to trade up just because I’d rather throw more darts at the board with a tried and true scouting department that pulled sneed out of the weeds last year and guys like Fenton and danna who have contributed from late rounds. From the outside looking in it just seems like there’s not a huge difference in what will be available where we are and where we could reasonably trade up. And I’ve seen several people say the second round guys very well may have higher upside than the day 1 starters late in the first. If that really is the case I’d rather get the guy with the elite upside, take some lumps, maybe sign a stop gap and be even better down the road. [Reply]
Originally Posted by Dunerdr:
I don’t want to trade up just because I’d rather throw more darts at the board with a tried and true scouting department that pulled sneed out of the weeds last year and guys like Fenton and danna who have contributed from late rounds. From the outside looking in it just seems like there’s not a huge difference in what will be available where we are and where we could reasonably trade up. And I’ve seen several people say the second round guys very well may have higher upside than the day 1 starters late in the first. If that really is the case I’d rather get the guy with the elite upside, take some lumps, maybe sign a stop gap and be even better down the road.
Originally Posted by In58men:
Didn’t Veach select Speaks before we had an overhaul on defense? I feel like he deserves a pass on Speaks because of the situation at the time. Hardman wasn’t so great though.
I don't even fault him for Hardman. He has a strong armed QB and needed someone who could stretch the field. With the Hill situation as it was at the time it looked like a good choice. I am not so sure had there not been a danger of Hill playing Veach would have selected Hardman. [Reply]
