The Baltimore Ravens should be sellers, not buyers come the NFL trade deadline

Even with their most recent win, the Baltimore Ravens should be looking to sell come the NFL trade deadline on October 31st.

We are just two days away from the NFL trade deadline on October 31st. The Baltimore Ravens are riding high after a 40-0 shutout win over the Miami Dolphins last Thursday night, but that shouldn’t change their philosophy heading into the trade deadline.

It’s not often we see the Ravens as active participants right before the trade deadline. General manager Ozzie Newsome would rather do the most of his player acquisitions in the offseason. Trading for a player, especially one in a skill position is particularly hard to do. Unless they’re familiar with the offense coming in, it takes a couple of weeks to get adjusted. Just look at newly acquired Bears wide receiver Dontrelle Inman. He’s inactive today after being traded from the Chargers this week.

Ideally, the Ravens won’t be buyers or sellers in the next few days but if Ozzie is going to make any moves, this team should be sellers.

Heading towards the deadline, here are three of the most realistic moves the Ravens could make.

Potential players to move

Terrance West

Even when healthy this season Terrance West hasn’t been anything spectacular. He’s rushed for just 138 yards this season and is an average running back at best. Alex Collins and Buck Allen have taken over the backfield in West’s absence and it’ll likely stay that way when he returns. At this point, the Ravens need to stick with what’s working and that’s giving Collins 20-25 carries a game.

West will be an unrestricted free agent this summer and the Ravens should try to move him before the trade deadline. With Collins, Allen, and Dixon next all back next season, West will be out the door. The Ravens could get a future late-round draft pick and that’d be worth it for this front office. We know how Ozzie loves to stock up on his draft picks.

Maxx Williams

The Maxx Williams experiment is all but done in Baltimore. Finally healthy after knee surgery, this was Williams’ season to break out. So far it’s been anything but that. He’s only played in three games and injuries have been an issue once again. There’s no timetable for Williams’ return from an ankle injury and with one year left on his rookie deal, it could be time for the two to part ways.

Like West, Williams doesn’t have a huge market but he’s still an intriguing prospect at 6-4, 250+ pounds. A team desperate for tight end depth could swoop in and try to strike a deal. It’s another one of those late-round draft pick compensations the Ravens could consider.

Breshad Perriman

This is a move I don’t think the Ravens will make, but they should make. Even when Breshad Perriman is on the field, he really isn’t. Perriman has no impact whatsoever and we’ve seen enough where the bust label is certainly justified.

In seven games this season Perriman has four catches for 26 total yards and no touchdowns. I’m not really sure what else I have to say, that’s horrendous. Mike Wallace will be an unrestricted free agent next year and Jeremy Maclin is really the only receiver the offense can count on. Perriman might have potential left but it’s not here in Baltimore.

The bottom line

I don’t think trading for any players at this point of the season is worth it. Sure they Ravens are decimated with injuries, but a lot of these players will be back next season. The Ravens are better off keeping their draft picks and trying to acquire more in the process. At 4-4, the Ravens have a long way to go for a potential playoff berth. Even if they do sneak in it’ll be a first-round exit.

Next: Baltimore Ravens: What we learned from 40-0 win versus Miami

The Ravens don’t have a ton of assets, but some that could be moved ahead of the trade deadline. We’ll see just how active they are in the next few days.