Ravens: 3 reasons why Baltimore surprisingly traded CB Shaun Wade

3. Shaun Wade had no role with the Ravens

This one kind of goes hand-in-hand with the last one. But in this instance, we’re more talking about what role Wade might have filled.

Wade was expected to compete for playing time in the slot and on special teams early in his career. In a crowded secondary, it was always going to be a challenge to find reps.

But it soon became apparent just how buried on the depth chart Wade was.

Realistically, Wade was the Ravens’ sixth-best option in the slot, he didn’t play outside cornerback, and at least six players would have received reps at safety over him.

What choice did the Ravens have?

Brandon Stephens, Ar’Darius Washington, and Anthony Averett received the majority of reps in the slot in the preseason. When you factor in a healthy Tavon Young and Marlon Humphrey (who has played plenty in the slot), Wade was likely sixth on the slot depth chart.

Wade had as many snaps in the slot this preseason as Nigel Warrior and DeShon Elliott (two). And if that’s going to be his largest contribution, there’s really no defending his roster spot.

That brings us to the second part of this entry. What happens when a player provides no value to an organization? They move on — they cut ties.

But rather than outright release him, the Ravens were able to recoup assets for a player who they had already decided wouldn’t make their roster.

Ideally, they would have been able to stash Wade on their practice squad. But as evidenced by this trade, there was no way Wade was going to pass through waivers.

The Ravens made the decision they did for a variety of reasons. While it might have seemed surprising at the time, their rationale isn’t hard to follow.

Only time will tell if the team’s decision to trade Wade comes back to bite them.