Baltimore Ravens trade Hayden Hurst to Falcons: 3 big things

2. The downside of the trade:

The downside of the trade is fairly obvious, even if it’s a deal the Ravens had to make. This is a team that got the least out of their receivers in the 2019 season. Wide receiver is a big need still and the Ravens probably won’t be able to address it in free agency. Letting go of a tight end who had 30 receptions and showed room for improvement is a bold move when pass catchers aren’t spread out through the entire offense. Lamar Jackson has Mark Andrews, Marquise Brown, Willie Snead and Nick Boyle. That’s about all he has to throw to at the wide receiver and tight end positions.

If Baltimore had kept Hurst, they would have been able to make an incredible pairing at the tight end position. Hurst is a player who wanted more to do as a pass catcher and he had every right to feel that way. This is a trade that will probably pay off very heavily for the Atlanta Falcons, who just lost their 2019 tight end in free agency.

Za’Darius Smith is an example of a player who flourished elsewhere, a player that made Ravens fans miss him a bit. If Hurst becomes a Pro Bowl caliber player, Eric DeCosta may have an “Oh, what could have been” thought going on in his head.

Baltimore doesn’t have enough pass catchers. That’s not an opinion. That’s a fact. There seems to be an idea that as long as Baltimore has Lamar Jackson and this running game, the offense is fine. That may be true to an extent, however last year Baltimore saw the need to add talent to the receiving positions. Losing a tight end is a mover that is allowable with such a surplus. It still makes the wide receiver position look even more drastic of a situation.