Six Teams Reportedly Interested in Trading for Orlando Brown Jr.
Six teams are showing interest in trading for Pro Bowl offensive tackle Orlando Brown Jr., according to NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo.
"All parties involved seem confident a deal will get done to send Brown elsewhere for his fourth NFL season," Garafolo wrote.
Neither Brown, who made his first public comments since requesting a trade last month, nor his agents identified the teams, although the Minnesota Vikings reportedly are one of them.
Brown, who went to the Pro Bowl in 2019 after starting all 16 games at right tackle, has made it clear that he wants to be traded to a team where he will play left tackle – the position he played throughout his childhood and in college at Oklahoma. When All-Pro left tackle Ronnie Stanley suffered a season-ending ankle injury in Week 8 last year, Brown took over the position and was again voted to the Pro Bowl.
General Manager Eric DeCosta said earlier this week that he's had some discussions with Brown and his agents, but there is currently no timetable for a trade.
"We'll do what's best for Orlando and we'll do what's best for the Ravens," DeCosta said. "These things take time sometimes. There's a lot of different scenarios with how this thing could play out. But we are blessed to have him on the team. He's an excellent player."
In Brown's conversation with Garafolo, he reiterated that it was always the dream of his late father, former Ravens offensive lineman Orlando Brown Sr., for him to play left tackle in the NFL.
"It was, 'Left tackle, left tackle, that's all you're ever playing.' And that's all we ever worked on," Brown said of his father's advice and tutelage. "I'm better at left tackle; it's what I dreamed about being my whole life. We all have dreams, and we all get put in positions where we have an opportunity to upgrade. That's it for me.
"It's a lot more emotional or spiritual for me, I guess you could say, playing left tackle."
Brown again expressed his appreciation and respect for the Ravens and said the decision to request a trade was difficult.
"It definitely wasn't easy, just because of my ties to the city and organization," Brown said. "This place is forever special, this place is forever home. It was a decision that took time and the understanding of what's best for me."
Analytics Show WR Corey Davis, Ravens Are a Good Fit
There's been a lot of talk this offseason about which free-agent wide receivers would be a good fit for the Ravens. One player frequently mentioned is Corey Davis, and NFL Network analytics expert Cynthia Frelund said the analytics support the notion that Davis and the Ravens are a good match.
Using each team's current roster (and what's missing from it), Frelund's model maximizes where each free agent would add the most wins in 2021, also taking into account scheme fit and cap space. Davis is projected to add 0.7 wins for the Ravens.
"When aligned wide last season, Davis averaged 2.8 yards per route (fifth-most among those with a minimum of 150 routes, per NGS). The Ravens averaged 1.3 yards per route with players aligned wide last season, which was the second fewest," Frelund wrote. "In other words, adding an incredibly efficient receiver to handle assignments that start from a wide alignment drives exceptional value here."
Meanwhile, ESPN’s Matt Bowen identified the best scheme fits for the top free agents, and he believes Baltimore is the ideal landing spot for Kenny Golladay.
"With the need to bolster the pass game in Baltimore to make a serious run in the playoffs, the Ravens should make a run at Golladay and give quarterback Lamar Jackson a proven No.1 wide receiver with the route-running traits, size/catch radius and scoring upside to create more pass-game production," Bowen wrote.
Unlike Frelund's model, Bowen did not take cap space into consideration. The price tag for Golladay undoubtedly will be steeper than Davis'.
PFF Predicts Ravens Sign Veteran Edge Rusher Melvin Ingram III
The Ravens are likely in the market for a proven edge rusher, and three-time Pro Bowl selection Melvin Ingram III is a compelling option.
Pro Football Focus’ Anthony Treash predicted the Ravens will sign Ingram for two years, $20 million ($16 million guaranteed).
"Baltimore has a plethora of edge rushers set to hit the open market in free agency and could look to modestly upgrade at the position with Ingram," Treash wrote. "He has missed some time as of late, but the nine-year Charger has generated consistent pass-rush production throughout his career, holding his own when dropping into coverage, too.
"Ingram has produced a pass-rush grade north of 73.0 in each of the past seven seasons and ranks 14th over that entire span in pass-rush win rate among edge defenders."
Ingram, who turns 32 next month, missed nine games last season due to a knee injury and did not record a single sack. He had at least seven sacks in each of his previous five seasons.
"It wasn't that long ago when Melvin Ingram was the most feared pass-rusher on the Chargers and one of the elite edge performers in the NFL," CBS Sports’ Jason La Canfora wrote. "But Joey Bosa was drafted — and then subsequently paid big — and Ingram has had difficulty staying healthy in recent years. But there is still skill to be culled, and in a situation where his reps could be limited, on a short-term deal, someone might hit an absolute home run."
Should Ravens Look Into Trading for Patriots WR N'Keal Harry?
Marquise "Hollywood" Brown was the first wide receiver off the board in 2019 when the Ravens selected him 25th overall. The second wide receiver chosen was N'Keal Harry, who was taken by the New England Patriots at No. 32.
Could Harry join Brown in Baltimore next season? Harry reportedly is garnering trade interest, and Ebony Bird’s Chris Schisler thinks the Ravens should at least explore the possibility.
The 6-foot-4, 225-pound Harry has been a disappointment thus far in New England, where has a total of 45 receptions for 414 yards and four touchdowns in two seasons. Harry had back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons in his final two years at Arizona State and caught 17 touchdown passes in that span.
Schisler said a fresh start could benefit Harry just as it did for former Ravens first-round pick Breshad Perriman.
"The Ravens need a big-bodied receiver. If the Ravens expended a sixth-round pick on Harry, it really couldn't hurt," Schisler wrote. "If it didn't work out, it didn't cost much. If it did work, the Ravens would reap the benefits of a player who had Day One talent but needed time to flourish.
"Trading for Harry wouldn't be fixing the wide receiver position. That's not the goal of this kind of move. The goal here is to take on a project hoping that the Patriots are being foolish for letting go of Harry this early."
Whether the Patriots are willing to trade Harry is unknown, but NFL.com’s Kevin Patra said it wouldn't be a surprise if they were.
"[Patriots Head Coach] Bill Belichick is famously not shy about moving on if he feels a fit has run its course," Patra wrote. "The question is what price would it take to pry the first-round pick away from New England after just two seasons?"
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