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 AdolfOliverBush:
The secondary is the strongest unit on the team top to bottom, IMO. I don't see a reason to take a CB at 31.
Ward is on basically a one year deal. Baker is coming off an injury. Sneed is good but behind him is Fenton and Keyes. We still need to keep adding young, cost controlled talent. [Reply]
Originally Posted by htismaqe:
That's just the thing:
The top guys are too expensive. Trading up to 12 would be cost prohibitive. Our only hope there is Darrisaw falls.
The guys likely to be available at 31 all have starter ability to but lower athletic ability - you could get an Eichenberg or a Jenkins and have them start Day 1 but are they really long-term, top flight LT's?
Which leaves me thinking that 63 is the pick. A guy like Little, Brown, or Forsythe has the physical upside to be a really good pass blocker. They just need time and work.
If forced to choose one of those 3, I'm taking the last one every time.
Walker Little is a Veach move. He is a top 10 talent with the ability to be a top flight LT but didn't play this year and coming off a knee injury. [Reply]
Originally Posted by ChiefsCountry:
Walker Little is a Veach move. He is a top 10 talent with the ability to be a top flight LT but didn't play this year and coming off a knee injury.
Can he play this year?
I'm just getting worn out on high rounders needing a "redshirt" year. [Reply]
Originally Posted by Superturtle:
Lol nah, we trading up for one of the premier OTs.
Doubtful. Don't have enough draft capital to get up that high. It would like costs this year's 1st and 2nd plus next year's 1st and 2nd and then some. [Reply]
Originally Posted by htismaqe:
Doubtful. Don't have enough draft capital to get up that high. It would like costs this year's 1st and 2nd plus next year's 1st and 2nd and then some.