Tuesday’s acquisition of wide receiver Diontae Johnson from the Panthers probably won’t impact the Ravens’ trade deadline plans too much. It included a pick swap — Baltimore got Carolina’s 2025 sixth-round pick and traded away a 2025 fifth-rounder — so the Ravens didn’t diminish their available draft capital. The Panthers also absorbed all but about $625,000 of Johnson’s contract, so Baltimore didn’t add a significant cap charge that would create a hurdle to making another deal.
In other words, Ravens general manager Eric DeCosta can keep shopping ahead of the 4 p.m. deadline on Tuesday.
DeCosta is always looking, but there have been years when roster flexibility and salary-cap limitations, along with a desire to hold onto draft capital, conspired to prevent any deals. Before last year’s deadline, the Ravens were involved in talks for Washington Commanders pass rusher Chase Young and Tennessee Titans running back Derrick Henry. Neither deal reached the finish line, and the Ravens, who had arguably the NFL’s best roster and were 6-2 at the deadline, stood pat.
Circumstances are a bit different this year. The Ravens are 5-3, and a disappointing road loss Sunday to the Cleveland Browns reinforced a litany of concerns about their defense. They have more defined needs. If DeCosta makes another move following the Johnson deal, it will likely be to address the defensive side of the ball.
Adding a pass rusher might be the biggest priority, but you could easily make a case for a defensive back. The Ravens haven’t consistently impacted the opposing quarterback, and an addition — whether it’s an edge rusher or defensive back — could solidify a pass defense that is ranked as the league’s worst. Baltimore has depth concerns along the interior of its defensive line, too.
The Ravens could have as many as 11 picks in the 2025 NFL Draft, so parting with mid-round draft capital shouldn’t be a major issue if there’s a trade that makes sense. There is one challenge: The Ravens have just over $3 million of salary-cap space remaining this year, and DeCosta has said repeatedly that they’ll be very selective about adding contracts to future caps.
DeCosta, though, saw the impact the pre-deadline acquisition of cornerback Marcus Peters made in 2019. Three years later, the Ravens enjoyed a similar boost from the deadline addition of middle linebacker Roquan Smith.
The big question is who’s available and what position Ravens decision-makers believe is the biggest question mark. Let’s look at potential targets and divide them into three categories.
Right player, right price?
(Potentially obtainable players who wouldn’t be too pricey from a compensation standpoint)
Calais Campbell, DL, Dolphins: The venerable Campbell isn’t playing like a 38-year-old. He has seven tackles for loss, two sacks, three pass breakups and five quarterback hits. The Ravens have been thin on the interior all year, and Campbell would improve depth up front while adding experience and leadership. He’s on an expiring one-year contract and still has relationships in the locker room from playing three seasons with the team. The Dolphins are 2-5, but that doesn’t mean they’ll necessarily sell.
Andre Cisco, S, Jaguars: Ravens veteran safeties Marcus Williams and Eddie Jackson just haven’t gotten their hands on footballs, and that’s one thing Cisco has done well. He has eight interceptions since the start of 2022. A 2021 third-round pick by Jacksonville, Cisco is in the final year of his rookie contract. If the 2-6 Jaguars know they’re going to lose him in a couple of months anyway, he’d probably be a relatively cheap acquisition.
Jadeveon Clowney, Edge, Panthers: After a 9 1/2-sack season with the Ravens last year, Clowney signed a two-year, $20 million deal with the Panthers — and little has gone according to plan. Carolina has one win and Clowney has just one sack and two quarterback hits in six games. The Ravens would have to be confident that Clowney would be energized on a contender and flourish in their culture, as he did last year. They’d need to absorb a little money next year, but it’s not a huge deterrent if they believe Clowney is the missing piece.
Brandon Scherff, G, Jaguars: How much do the Ravens feel they need another experienced guard? Scherff is 32 and three seasons removed from a stretch where he made five Pro Bowls in six seasons. However, he’s still a veteran presence who knows how to get the job done. He’s also a pending free agent, so it would likely be a rental situation.
Za’Darius Smith, Edge, Browns: It’s been well documented that Smith, another former Raven, could be headed elsewhere with the Browns floundering and a litany of contenders looking for edge rushers. Smith, 32, is having a solid season with five sacks and showed Baltimore how explosive he still is Sunday with 10 quarterback hurries. If the Browns have comparable trade options, they’re surely not going to do the Ravens any favors.
Available, but enough of an upgrade?
(Players at positions of need who are said to be available but aren’t obvious upgrades)
Nate Davis, G, Bears: A starter for the previous five seasons, Davis is now a backup in Chicago and has been oft-mentioned as a player who could be on the move. The question is: Is he better than what the Ravens already have? They probably are OK with their guard depth with Andrew Vorhees, Ben Cleveland and Josh Jones on the bench.
Jonathan Jones, CB, Patriots: Jones has played a lot of football for the Patriots, appearing in 123 games over parts of nine seasons and starting 64 of them. He’d be a solid depth add with plenty of postseason experience. Cornerback depth is not among Baltimore’s foremost needs, but the team’s decision-makers always say you can never have enough corners.
Arden Key, Edge, Titans: The Ravens looked into signing Key as a free agent in 2022. He has 23 career sacks in seven seasons and has never had more than 6 1/2 in any one season. However, he’d be a solid rotational guy with some pass-rushing juice. He can move inside, too.
Devin Lloyd, ILB, Jaguars: Trenton Simpson has been mostly solid in his first season as a starter alongside Roquan Smith. Still, Baltimore doesn’t have a whole lot of depth at inside linebacker and has been vulnerable in the middle of the field all season. The Ravens liked Lloyd coming out of the 2022 draft. He hasn’t become what the Jaguars had hoped, but he’s only 26 and has another year left on his rookie deal.
Emmanuel Ogbah, Edge, Dolphins: The nine-year veteran has 44 1/2 career sacks, yet just two this year and 8 1/2 over the past three seasons. It would be pretty hard to make a case that he’s a bigger edge threat than Kyle Van Noy, Odafe Oweh and Yannick Ngakoue.
Xavier Woods, S, Panthers: A starting safety in the NFL for the past seven-plus seasons, Woods is in the final season of a three-year, $15 million deal with the Panthers. The required return probably wouldn’t be much. Baltimore’s disappointing safety play mandates that it takes a look at everyone available.
Chase Young, Edge, Saints: Health concerns prompted the Ravens to back out of their pursuit of Young last year. Those may still exist. Young also only has two sacks, although some of his other pass-rush metrics paint a much brighter picture. Again, though, is he considered a difference-maker at this point?
Doesn’t hurt to dream
(Players who either aren’t expected to be available or would likely cost too much if they were)
Budda Baker, S, Cardinals: The six-time Pro Bowler has been the most accomplished safety speculated to be available, but that may have changed. The Cardinals, who have made the playoffs just once since 2015, are tied for the NFC West lead, making it an unlikely time to trade away a longtime face of the franchise. He’s playing on a relatively big contract number in his walk year.
Maxx Crosby, Edge, Raiders: One of the NFL’s top defensive players, Crosby is the apple of Ravens fans’ eyes this deadline. However, it’s probably wasted energy. Raiders owner Mark Davis has said on multiple occasions that Crosby will not be dealt. If he was on the market, the Ravens should pull all the stops to land him.
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Jaycee Horn, CB, Panthers: Carolina isn’t willing to trade everybody. Horn, a talented 24-year-old corner, is said to be off-limits. The Ravens are always looking to add at cornerback, but that position isn’t at the top of their wish list this deadline.
Harold Landry III, Edge, Titans: If the 1-6 Titans really want to hit the rebuild button, the 28-year-old Landry would be an interesting guy to dangle. He’s just one year removed from a 10 1/2 -sack season. Landry is in the middle of a five-year, $87.5 million contract, and it feels unlikely that the Ravens would be willing to absorb a huge deal.
Marshon Lattimore, CB, Saints: The Ravens loved Lattimore coming out of the 2017 draft and tried to trade up to get him. That was a long time ago and Lattimore has struggled to stay healthy and isn’t consistently the shutdown guy he once was. However, he’d certainly add swagger and star power to a secondary that appears to be fighting its confidence. There’s been no indication that the 2-6 Saints are waiving the white flag on their season.
Azeez Ojulari, Edge, Giants: You’d think the 2-6 Giants would be aggressive sellers, but according to NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo, they’d have to be “blown away” to deal Ojulari. The pending free agent has six sacks and would probably be near the top of many pass rush-needy teams’ list at the deadline if he was available for a reasonable return.
(Top photo of Eric DeCosta: Tommy Gilligan / Imagn Images)
