The Baltimore Ravens should trade for 49ers DE Arik Armstead

With all the trade speculation going around there’s one deserving player that hasn’t been mentioned as a possible target for the Ravens and that’s San Francisco 49ers defensive end Arik Armstead.

The Baltimore Ravens defense has started off the 2019 regular season in a very rough fashion. As of now, the Ravens defense is ranked 21st in total defense according to NFL.com which is a far drop from their number one ranking last season. The Ravens front office and coaches desperately underestimated the impact losing Terrell Suggs, C.J. Mosley, Eric Weddle, and Za’Darius Smith would have on the team. Add in the losses cornerbacks Tavon Young (neck) and Jimmy Smith (knee) and this defense could definitely use some reinforcements. Insert 49ers defensive end Arik Armstead.

There has been very little talk about Arik Armstead being available but during an interview with KNBR 49ers general manager John Lynch said this of Armstead becoming a free agent at season’s end:

"“Arik Armstead has been tremendous for us this year,” Lynch said. “Arik is going to make a lot of money, whether it’s with us or somebody else. He’s playing really well and bringing a lot to the table. We’re glad we have him and we’re going to work hard to try to keep him, but you can only sign so many, so we’ll see where that goes.” – John Lynch on KNBR"

I don’t know about you but that sure doesn’t seem like a general manager who think’s Arik Armstead is going to be on his roster next season. I’ve heard a lot of coaches talk about home-grown players they want to keep regarding free agency and they don’t sound like that.

This situation is very similar to one the Ravens had a few years ago with defensive tackle Timmy Jernigan. Granted, Jernigan was a second round pick and not a first round pick, but the situation is very similar nevertheless. Jernigan was an up-and-coming talent the Ravens knew they couldn’t afford so they traded him to the Philadelphia Eagles on April 4th, 2017 for a third round pick. I could see the Ravens doing something similar.

Arik Armstead has had a slow start to his career since being drafted 17th overall in the 2015 NFL Draft, but he’s started to catch on as of late. So far, Armstead has 11 career sacks with two of them coming from this season. His most impressive statistic though was his 33 total tackles last season which was vastly improved from his previous record of 8. For reference, Ravens defensive end Brandon Williams had 34 total tackles last season with one sack.

Now you may ask, “how would the Ravens fit Arik Armstead under their tight cap space?” or “what do we have to give in order to trade for him?”.  Well, I have answers to both of those questions. According to Over The Cap, the Ravens have $9.71 million dollars left in their current cap space and Armstead’s 2019 salary of $9.046 million would fit just under it. Although, I don’t think the Ravens would keep their cap space that tight so I would expect a release or two following the trade.

In regards to the cost of said trade, I could realistically see the Ravens acquiring Arik Armstead for a 4th round pick. The would presumably be the pick the Ravens received in exchange for quarterback Joe Flacco when they traded him to the Denver Broncos. If the 49ers know they won’t be able to resign him this offseason then they might as well get a free 4th round pick out of it. They’re also one of the very few teams that could handle the loss of such a good player on their defensive line while not skipping a beat.

This trade would be a win-win for both teams involved and that’s why it makes so much sense, honestly. The Ravens would be getting their much-needed reinforcements on the defensive line while the 49ers would presumably be getting a “free” 4th round draft pick. This trade would be such a masterful move by Eric DeCosta because it’s a low risk high reward situation. If Arik Armstead doesn’t work out then the Ravens could get a compensatory pick back next offseason and if he does, well, DeCosta will have finessed a first round talent at the cost of a 4th round pick.