Ravens making life harder after Orlando Brown trade
The Baltimore Ravens may have designs on getting to the Super Bowl, Â but giving Orlando Brown to the Kansas City Chiefs isn’t helping.
Willfully giving your biggest rival its biggest answer this offseason is a bold strategy.
Yet this is exactly what the Baltimore Ravens and general manager Eric DeCosta did on Friday afternoon, sending a two-time Pro Bowl tackle in Orlando Brown to the Kansas City Chiefs. Surprisingly, Baltimore also sent a second-round pick in next week’s NFL Draft along with a 2022 sixth-round choice to the defending AFC champs for first, third and fourth-round choices this year, accompanied by a fifth-round selections in ’22.
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While the trade capital is significant, is it enough? Brown is on the final year of a cheap rookie deal and could be kept under team control for another two years with franchise tags. Instead, the Ravens sent him to be the blindside protector of Patrick Mahomes for what could certainly be the next decade.
For Kansas City, it’s a no-brainer. The Chiefs essentially gave up the first-round pick as a swap for Brown. The picks in 2022 are 30 picks apart on Day 3. The other stuff? It’s Baltimore trading its second-round pick for third and fourth rounders. The value can be seen, but is that enough to make the Chiefs even better?
Ultimately, the Ravens aren’t fighting for the AFC North with Kansas City. Their main challengers are the Cleveland Browns and Pittsburgh Steelers in the immediate scope, but eventually, it comes down to whether Baltimore can finally slay the Chiefs. So far, the Ravens have played against Mahomes with three times. No wins.
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Mahomes now being protector by a star 24-year-old tackle — who is no longer protecting Lamar Jackson — figures to make the journey all the more difficult.
Heading into the draft, the Ravens have clear issues to address. They need a right tackle to replace Brown, along with a pair of edge rushers after watching Yannick Ngakoue and Matt Judon leave in free agency. Baltimore also needs a wide receiver, even after signing Sammy Watkins to a one-year deal last month.
The Ravens are certainly still one of the AFC’s best teams, but sending Brown to the Chiefs seems like a step backwards. More importantly, it’s a huge step forward for Kansas City in its pursuit of a third straight AFC title.
