Pundit Lists Potential Trade Targets Before Deadline
Six games into the 2024 season, teams are beginning to buy and sell before the Nov. 5 trade deadline.
The Jets made a splash, reuniting Davante Adams with Aaron Rodgers, and hours later the Buffalo Bills landed Amari Cooper from the Cleveland Browns.
With the Ravens clearly Super Bowl contenders, The Baltimore Sun’s Brian Wacker considered four players General Manager Eric DeCosta could target.
Haason Reddick, outside linebacker
"The bad news for Baltimore is that he would be owed $10 million for the rest of the season, according to Over The Cap, and whatever team acquires him would likely be looking at a two- or three-year extension," Wacker wrote. "The good news for the Ravens is that he would significantly bolster a defense that already has the fifth-most sacks in the NFL. Reddick, 30, has tallied double-digit sacks each of the past four years and had 11 with the Eagles last season."
Jadeveon Clowney, outside linebacker
"At 31 years old, Clowney isn't sticking around for a long and messy rebuild [with the Panthers] after signing a two-year, $20 million free agent deal in the offseason. That makes him an attractive trade piece for a contender," Wacker wrote. "Baltimore certainly fits the bill, and he'd fit right in to return after matching his career high with 9 1/2 sacks for the Ravens last season. Clowney would also be affordable to the salary cap-strapped Ravens ($4.12 million of room, per Over The Cap) since Carolina already paid him his $8 million signing bonus plus six game checks, thus reducing his $6 million cap hit for this season significantly."
Jonathan Jones, cornerback
"The New England Patriots are 1-5 and in last place in the AFC East, where the Jets could be poised to make a run at the division-leading Bills. That could have the Patriots looking to deal Jones, who is in the final year of his two-year, $19 million contract," Wacker wrote. "This season, he has 25 tackles, three passes defensed, a forced fumble and is just two years removed from a career-high four-interception season. Though the Ravens have several formidable cornerbacks, general manager Eric DeCosta is fond of saying they can never have too many, and adding someone like Jones could help bolster depth."
DeAndre Hopkins, wide receiver
"As long as Jackson is the quarterback of the Ravens, it seems there will be a never-ending fascination (obsession?) from Baltimore fans to see him paired with a big-name wide receiver," Wacker wrote. "Of course, Hopkins (along with Odell Beckham Jr.) was one of two wish-list receivers Jackson named during contract negotiations last season, so there is at least some connection, and the Tennessee Titans (1-4) figure to be sellers. But with a $18.31 million cap hit coming into the season, it would take some gymnastics to fit the 32-year-old onto the roster. Besides, as coach John Harbaugh said recently about the team's receivers: 'We like our guys.'"
National Outlets Name Lamar Jackson Leader in the MVP Race
After another rousing performance by Jackson on Sunday, pundits have been scaling him up their MVP list. While a few are making a case for Derrick Henry – as noted in yesterday's LFW – ESPN’s Stephen Holder and USA Today’s Safid Deen are putting Jackson at No. 1.
"Jackson has wasted little time in stating his case for a third MVP. The Ravens' 0-2 start was not great for his candidacy, but he's been on a roll since," Holder wrote. "In four straight wins, Jackson is fourth in completion percentage (70.3%), third in QBR (76.1), second in yards per dropback (9.1), has thrown eight touchdowns versus one interception and has rushed for 236 yards – most among quarterbacks. In Jackson's past two games, wins over the Bengals and Commanders, he amassed a combined 766 yards of passing and rushing. Keep in mind, Jackson has done all of this against impressive competition."
Holder also noted not to forget how well Jackson played in Week 1, too.
"His Week 1 performance against the defending champion Chiefs should not be ignored, seeing how he was literally inches from sending the game into overtime in the final seconds," Holder wrote. "And against the Commanders, Jackson put up 323 passing yards versus a defense that was allowing 199 on average entering the game. That all sounds pretty valuable."
Deen is also high on Jackson's MVP case after leading the Ravens out of an 0-2 hole.
"The two-time MVP is atop our MVP rankings for the first time this season after another decisive win in Week 6," Deen wrote. "The Ravens have won four in a row, all against teams expected to make playoff runs this season – boosting Jackson's case for his third MVP."
While Jackson tops USA Today's list, Deen considers Jackson may lose votes by having another MVP-worthy teammate in Henry.
"The only issue we see with Jackson's MVP case moving forward: accounting for Henry's value. The star running back leads all players with nine touchdowns scored this season. Jackson and Henry are undoubtedly the NFL's best 1-2 punch, but Jackson's ability to make timely throws to set his running back up for easy scores will set him apart in the long run."
Derrick Henry, the Stiff-Arm Maestro
In a feat of focus, commitment, and sheer will, The Baltimore Banner's Jonas Shaffer watched all 2,149 of Henry's career runs to track what has gone into the renowned stiff-arm. The results, unsurprisingly, tell a tale of Henry tossing defenders and gaining extra yardage. The inexact science revealed Henry's deflected 158 times on 133 different would-be tacklers.
"Perhaps the best testament to Henry's longevity is just how many players he's victimized. He has stiff-armed a defensive lineman 37 times, a linebacker 40 times and a defensive back 81 times," Shaffer wrote. "'As an old defensive back, I just envision myself trying to knock that thing down and hanging on for dear life,' Ravens coach John Harbaugh joked earlier this month."
The data shows that Henry's stiff-arm comes with extra yardage, and the difference is astounding as his runs denying a tackle attempt result in 13.9 yards per carry.
"There's an evolutionary logic to this one: Of course the plays in which Henry manhandled a defender went for longer gains than those in which he did not," Shaffer wrote. "Still, the gulf in production is vast. Henry has 1,998 rushing yards on his 144 carries with one or multiple stiff arms. On his 2,005 carries without a stiff arm, he's rushed for 8,208 yards — or just 4.1 per attempt."
And, in classic closing-out-games fashion, Henry gets better in clutch-time, delivering more fourth quarter and overtime stiff-arms than any other quarter.
"In the fourth quarter and overtime, the physical and mental toll of defending Henry can start to wear on defenses," Shaffer wrote. "He has delivered 48 stiff arms in those late-game periods, which is four more than he has in the third quarter, which is seven more than he has in the second quarter, which is eight more than he has in the first quarter."
