Ravens Willing, Ready to 'Wheel and Deal' to Make A Trade
OWINGS MILLS, Md. — Ravens general manager Eric DeCosta is already looking around the league for potential trades.
Baltimore has pulled off several significant acquisitions over the past two years, especially on defense with the addition of Marus Peters, Calais Campbell and Yannick Ngakoue.
DeCosta is ready to make some moves in the coming weeks to fill several gaps on the roster, namely at wide receiver and the offensive line.
There is already speculation surrounding the future of offensive lineman Orlando Brown Jr., who wants to play left tackle but is blocked by Ronnie Stanley in Baltimore. The Ravens have reportedly given Brown permission to seek a trade.
"Sometimes they work and sometimes they don’t, but they’re fun," DeCosta said about trades. "I think it’s one of the great aspects of this job, is having the chance to wheel and deal and make some trades, especially if you can minimize the risks involved and get a guy that can help you win some football games. So, we’ll look at all of that. We don’t have quite as many [draft] picks this year as I’d like to have, partly because we made a trade."
The main stumbling to completing a trade early in the offseason is the uncertainty with this year's salary cap. The NFL has yet to set the amount, but it's expected to range between $175 million to $182 million.
Nonetheless, teams are already on the phone discussing potential deals. The Ravens will be one of those teams mulling over proposals.
"We kind of keep our ears down to the ground to listen to different things; what players teams are going to shop [and] try to find value for the team," DeCosta said. "Everything we do is based on the premise of value. Can we gain value from that transaction? If we think we can, we’ll make a move.”
