Baltimore Ravens Acquire Calais Campbell For 5th Round Pick
The Baltimore Ravens, who currently have Matthew Judon sitting on a franchise tag, have agreed to a trade with the Jacksonville Jaguars to acquire Calais Campbell for a fifth round pick. Campbell, 34, is slated to make $15 million in 2020 and is expected to come to an agreement with an extension in Baltimore.
Campbell was fantastic for the Jaguars in 2019 defending the run. He was named Pro Football Focus's Run Defender of the Year while also chipping in 6.5 sacks. Campbell could play either defensive end or move to defensive tackle as Michael Pierce is an unrestricted free agent, moving Brandon Williams to the nose.
The Ravens enjoyed an outstanding regular season but a disappointing playoff finish losing to the Tennessee Titans despite home field advantage and a first round bye. Even by the standards of win now moves, this is about as 'win now' as it gets. The Ravens are intent on making a serious push to win the Super Bowl in 2020.
The Ravens have one of the most dominant rushing offenses in NFL history and hope they can use this offseason to get their young passing game to the next level. Lamar Jackson is entering year three as his top tight end Mark Andrews. Receivers Marquise Brown and Miles Boykin are entering their second season.
For the Jaguars, they are further signaling their plans to rebuild as they make some difficult choices on players they want to keep. $15 million in salary for a 34 year old defensive end doesn't do them much good. They have already traded corners A.J. Bouye and Jalen Ramsey. They could tear the whole thing down and start from virtual scratch as well. They may use the cap space to make a pitch to free agent pass rusher Yannick Ngakoue or just tear the whole thing down and start over.
UPDATE: The Baltimore Ravens are finalizing terms on the extension with Calais Campbell per Ian Rapoport of NFL Network.
