With the trade deadline one day away, here are some trade thoughts with my personal shopping list for the Ravens. These are players who should be available given their respective current team situations, age, and contracts.
Trade Thoughts – Safety
Is I wrote previously, Jabril Peppers from the Patriots is my personal target here. His age (29) and the length of rebuild currently facing the Patriots should make him available. His total base salary this year is only $3.1 million, meaning that roughly half of that is still due. This makes him easily cap-affordable for the Ravens.
I previously had Budda Baker as a target as well, but the Cardinals are now tied for first place in the NFC west, so I’m sure he’s not available.
Everyone on the Saints should be available, and I’m sure Tyrann Mathieu is one of them. His base salary this year is just $1.5 million; again, roughly half of that would be assumed by the Ravens. Mathieu has not had a great season but he’s likely interesting to the Ravens if they can’t get, or won’t pursue, Peppers. And that’s about it at safety.
Trade Thoughts – Cornerback
There are a couple of young corners on bad teams who I’d love to acquire, but I don’t think these guys are available given their youth and prowess. These include Jarian Jones of Jacksonville and Jaycee Horn of Carolina. I’d trade for either, but just don’t see them as being available. You’re talking major trade for either one of these players.
Marshon Lattimore
More likely, the cornerback candidates include Marshon Lattimore of New Orleans and possibly Jourdan Lewis of Dallas. Let’s focus on Lattimore because the Saints should definitely move him if they can. He’s 28 years old with a 2024 base salary of $1.2 million (about half of that remaining). His base salary for 2025 is $16 million, and for 2026 it is $16.5 million. He’s a player the Ravens could acquire – if they want to – with little salary cap cost and an ability to cut him next season, i.e., a 2024 “rental.”
Lattimore had injury issues in 2023 and 2022 but has played in all of the Saints games this year. Statistically, he’s had a solid year in coverage, consistent with his career. In the context of corners who have played at least 50% of their team snaps, Lattimore is 16th in the league in coverage rating, per PFF. Lattimore has been targeted very infrequently this season. He’s yielding a 57% completion percentage, almost exactly in line with his career average.
The acquisition of Lattimore would allow the Ravens to play more man coverage, or at least allow Lattimore to handle man assignments inside of the zone schemes. Lattimore would also allow the Ravens to move Brandon Stephens off of the cornerback position.
Stephens has suffered through a down season so far. He’s yielding a 66% completion rate and has surrendered 514 yards (worst in the league) across 53 targets and 35 receptions. And his yards yielded per reception is a very poor 14.7 (10th worst in the league). Any way you look at it, Stephens, who is often in good position but rarely able to capitalize on it, has produced poor results. With Lattimore, you could attack the safety hole by plugging it with Stephens. Perhaps not a perfect solution, but it’s possible.
What would it take to acquire Lattimore? When they acquired Marcus Peters several years ago, it cost them linebacker Kenny Young and a fifth round pick. Peters was at the top of his ball-hawking game at that point, and one of the very top cover corners in the NFL. Could they acquire Lattimore for a fourth rounder? Could, or would, they trade Stephens head-up? Would the Saints be interested in a younger player and a fifth rounder? I don’t have these answers, but it seems highly likely the Ravens could make this happen if they are interested.
Jourdan Lewis
Jourdan Lewis of the Cowboys has some attractiveness, though he’s having his best coverage season by far. It’s actually a statistical outlier. I’ve not watched his tape and am only going by data in suggesting Lewis, but I tend to steer clear of “one year wonders”, especially at age 29. I put his name out there only because the Ravens are fishing for help. His base salary is $2.6 million, and the Cowboys should be sellers.
Trade Thoughts – Edge Rusher
Realistically, there is no “stud” solution here for the Ravens, not unless you want to dream the un-dreamable, i.e., acquiring Myles Garrett. More realistically, the targets could be Carl Granderson of the Saints, and Arden Key of Tennessee.
The 28 year old Granderson is having a very solid season with five sacks and a strong 78.6 true pass set rush rating, arguably his best season. He has only a $1.1 million base salary, with a $7.7 million salary next season. He makes some sense. If acquired, Granderson should immediately become part of a three-headed attack with Kyle Van Noy and Odafe Oweh, pushing Yannick Ngakoue or Tavius Robinson back to the bench.
Key has the 15th best true pass set rush rating (better than any Raven) after yesterday’s games. Van Noy dropped to 23rd, and Oweh to 32nd. Key is 28 years old, has a base salary of $1.4 million, and only a $6.5 million base salary for 2025. Key would be a rotational piece for the Ravens, a role in which he has been fairly consistent over the last four seasons.
I wish I had more names. I hope the Ravens do.
