Ravens Willing, Ready to 'Wheel and Deal' to Make A Trade

Baltimore ready to boost roster.

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.” 


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Todd Karpovich
TODD KARPOVICH

Twitter: @toddkarpovich Email: todd.karpovich@gmail.com Skype: todd.karpovich Todd Karpovich has been a contributor for ESPN, Forbes, the Associated Press, Lindy's, and The Baltimore Sun, among other media outlets nationwide. He is the co-author of “If These Walls Could Talk: Stories from the Baltimore Ravens Sideline, Locker Room, and Press Box,” “Skipper Supreme: Buck Showalter and the Baltimore Orioles,” and the author of “Manchester United (Europe's Best Soccer Clubs).” Karpovich, a Baltimore native, is a graduate of Calvert Hall College high school, Randolph-Macon College in Virginia, and has a Masters of Science from Towson University.