The Baltimore Ravens made the somewhat surprising decision to trade rookie cornerback Shaun Wade to the New England Patriots on Thursday.
Before he could ever even suit up for an NFL game with the team that drafted him, Wade was sent packing in a move that left many scratching their heads.
Why would the Ravens give up on a player they selected 160th overall in the 2021 NFL Draft less than four months ago? Especially a player with as high of a ceiling as Wade.
Wade was once seen as one of the best young cornerbacks in college football and a potential first-round draft pick. Unfortunately, a disastrous junior season tanked his draft stock in 2020.
Ohio State opted to move Wade to the boundary and play him at outside cornerback, a move that proved to be an issue for both the team and the player.
Wade struggled mightily as he was the only FBS player to allow 30 or more completions, 500 or more receiving yards, and six or more touchdown catches in 2020.
Still, the Ravens believed that Wade could rediscover his pre-2020 form with a move back to his natural position in the NFL. Evidently, that notion didn’t come to fruition in Baltimore.
But what led to this? What happened to make the Ravens give up on Wade as quickly as they did?
We take a look at three reasons why the Ravens traded Shaun Wade.
1. Shaun Wade’s inconsistencies with the Ravens
This wasn’t necessarily the predominant factor, but it did play a role. Let’s get something straight first — Shaun Wade didn’t play poorly during his time in Baltimore.
The Ravens came away convinced that he could play in the NFL, even if he was still a long way away from reaching his ceiling.
But it is fair to say that Wade had his struggles this summer.
The rookie cornerback found himself buried on the depth chart after failing to impress in the spring. And his struggles in camp weren’t exactly a secret, even if they didn’t come as a surprise either.
Jeff Zrebiec of The Athletic detailed Wade’s status on the roster a few weeks ago.
"“There’s been some struggles for Wade, but the Ravens knew when they drafted him that some development was needed. It’s hard to imagine that they’d give up on a rookie fifth-round corner this quickly.”"
That about sums it up perfectly. Wade had an up-and-down training camp and looked inexperienced in his role. But all of that was to be expected.
The Ravens knew that Wade was going to be somewhat of a project. And even Zrebiec insisted that it seemed unlikely that the team would just give up on Wade before allowing him time to develop.
Wade’s struggles played a role in his departure, but they weren’t the predominant reason.
2. The emergence of other young Ravens defensive backs
The biggest reason behind the Ravens’ decision to trade Wade was simply because he was outplayed. And he wasn’t just outplayed by one player, he was outplayed by a number of other young defensive backs.
Truth be told, Wade wasn’t really going to see the field if he did make the roster. And the Ravens didn’t want to waste a roster spot on him at the expense of others who had outplayed him.
Free-agent addition Chris Westry had done everything he could to secure a roster spot this summer. The 6-foot-4 cornerback is another high-ceiling prospect who showed more potential and current ability than Wade did.
Another standout has been undrafted safety Ar’Darius Washington. Washington’s emergence might have done more to push Wade out than anyone else given his extensive experience playing in the slot.
With Washington — among others — emerging as viable slot options, Wade became expendable.
Even beyond those two players, the likes of Geno Stone and Nigel Warrior have also impressed coaches this summer.
Stone had two interceptions in the team’s first preseason game while Warrior looks much improved in his second offseason with the organization.
The Ravens likely won’t be able to keep more than two of those players on the active roster. Yet, each of them certainly deserved a roster spot more than Wade.
Wade was expendable. The Ravens simply had better young defensive backs on their roster.
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.