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 htismaqe:
Depends on where in the first.
Ideally, we'd go stopgap and one in the 2nd or 3rd. I think the developmental guys in the 2nd and 3rd round actually fit better at LT in a pass-oriented offense.
I'm absolutely against trading up at all. I don't think the guys available in the 20's will be that much better fits than anybody we could grab at 31.
I don't consider "day 1 starter" to be a very valuable evaluation criteria. I want a guy with high upside in pass protection.
But if we are going to talk about trading 1st round picks, especially next year's, I'd MUCH rather have Brown than any tackle in this draft, including Sewell. We know he can play in the NFL at a high level. He's worth it.
I'm open to being persuaded, but isn't Browns biggest weakness pass pro?
Seems like a poor fit here at first glance
I'm not real big on trading up either, assuming Jenkins is there for us at 31... I know you're not big on him, but he fits our scheme best I can tell and will presumably make it to us without trading up [Reply]
The Ravens can rid themselves of a potential problem in Brown and get picks for it or they can sit tight and watch those teams, including the Chiefs, address their problems anyway, all the while they're stuck with Brown.
Or or they can trade him to another team. Get picks. And not help out their biggest road block to the superbowl.
Originally Posted by Detoxing:
First, they aren't in our division (and division trades do happen anyway) and secondly, the Chiefs are going to get a LT with or w/o the Ravens.
If you plan on going to the SB, you can plan on playing the Chiefs no matter what. They're going to find a LT no matter what. So no matter what, you're going to play the goddamn Chiefs and they're going to have a good LT.
Now, you can cut off your nose to spite your face, or you can effectively take the Chief's 1st round pick and then some, and profit off them while riding yourself of a headache at the same time, WHILE ensuring they pay a premium to yet another position instead of the Chiefs paying a LT on a rookie contract. (Hell, maybe this allows the Ravens to move up and pick up a LT on a rookie contract)
You're over here worrying about "OMG, what if we have to play the Chiefs, what if they're GOOD???".
Competent NFL teams aren't worried about that fan made hypothetical drama. You worry about building the best team you can build. Not what may or may not happen with some other team that aint even in your division.
If the Chiefs offer the most, you take it and let the chips fall where they may. I can promise you no one in Baltimore is sitting there trembling in their boots as if they can't beat the Chiefs.
In a league where anything can happen, and any injury can derail a season, it'd be idiotic to turn down the most profitable offer that both helps you, and taps the Chiefs resources over hypothetical what-ifs.
It would be idiotic to give your biggest roadblock to the superbowl one of the 3 most important positions unless they severely overpay. No the Ravens aren't trembling because of us, but there's a 100% chance they're thinking of us when they make certain moves. Especially when one of those moves will directly help us. [Reply]
Originally Posted by -King-:
It would be idiotic to give your biggest roadblock to the superbowl one of the 3 most important positions unless they severely overpay. No the Ravens aren't trembling because of us, but there's a 100% chance they're thinking of us when they make certain moves. Especially when one of those moves will directly help us.
And yet they're rumored to be discussing the trade with the Chiefs.... [Reply]
Originally Posted by Detoxing:
If you take lesser compensation because you're scared then you're your own biggest road block.
It's not about being scared. It's about being smart. If the next teams offer is anywhere in the ball park of the chiefs, why would you not take that one and force the Chiefs to take a chance in the draft? You could win 3 ways there, 1) you got picks from another team. 2) you didn't help the chiefs by giving them a proven player 3) chiefs might potentially draft a bust.
Now if the chiefs were to really offer much more than the next team, of course you take that. [Reply]
Originally Posted by Detoxing:
And yet they're rumored to be discussing the trade with the Chiefs....
Link other than NFLrums? And yeah I'm sure they'll try to see how much they can squeeze out of the chiefs. It's not like they're going to decline the phone calls lol. [Reply]
Originally Posted by -King-:
It's not about being scared. It's about being smart.
Being smart means you take the best compensation available.
If you lose out on a key prospect that went a few picks higher, or have to trade to get to a spot where they woulda been with the Chiefs picks, or lose out on a prospect all together because the Chiefs offered an additional pick, that doesn't sound very fucking smart to me.
You're arguing that the Ravens should take less compensation because it might make the Chiefs better, rather than focusing on making themselves the best they can be.
Loser mentality. I doubt the Ravens think that way.
I'm not saying they won't consider the partner. Of course they will. But i highly doubt it's a significant determining factor. [Reply]
