Baltimore Ravens cornerback Marcus Peters could be turned into a valuable trade chip this offseason, per one outlet’s reports.
In 2021, Peters suffered a torn ACL in preseason, and he’ll have a mountain to climb to return to elite form.
The seventh-year pro is currently in his second year at Baltimore, but there’s a small chance the Ravens will trade him in 2022.
Kristopher Knox of Bleacher Report recently revealed a list ranking the NFL’s best trade pieces of the 2022 offseason. Peters was ranked eighth, with a projected trade value of a 2022 third-round pick:
"“Bd\altimore Ravens cornerback Marcus Peters would rank higher on this list if he weren’t recovering from a torn ACL and set to carry a cap hit of $15.5 million in 2022…Cover corners are generally in high demand, and Peters should draw plenty of interest if he lands on the trade block. His health will be a concern, but at least one team should be willing to bank on a return to pre-injury form.”"
There are plenty of reasons the Ravens would want to keep their star corner, but let’s start with why they wouldn’t.
For one, Baltimore’s tight cap situation may mean the team has some tough decisions ahead of them.
Hypothetically, if the Ravens traded Peters, they could gain enough cap space to re-sign Anthony Averett to take Peters’ place, along with re-signing other key members of the roster like Bradley Bozeman and DeShon Elliott.
The Ravens may be willing to part with cornerback Marcus Peters this offseason
And perhaps the biggest incentive is: they would get more leeway to extend Lamar Jackson’s contract when that time comes.
There’s also no telling how productive Peters will be when he eventually returns from injury, since a torn ACL is one of the most difficult to recover from.
At Peters’ high price point, that may be a gamble the Ravens just don’t want to take.
Knox writes that Baltimore’s defense has “survived” without Peters, but anyone watching the Ravens play week after week know their team form just isn’t sustainable.
Yes, the Ravens hold the top seed in the AFC North, but their playoff spot is the most volatile of that of any other first-place team.
No one would deny the impact Peters has had since joining Baltimore in 2019. The three-time Pro Bowler has racked up seven interceptions (31 total in his career) and is still considered to be in his prime.
In 2019, Peters allowed an opposing passer rating of only 63.4 over 10 games. The Ravens’ cornerback tandem of Peters and Marlon Humphrey has locked down Baltimore’s defensive backfield and dominated the rest of the league — few teams could boast of not one, but two highly-touted cornerbacks on their roster.
Come 2022, Baltimore may like what they see in the younger Averett and be willing to part with Peters to save cap space.
Depth is always a concern for any NFL team, but it’s an especially vital one for the down-on-luck Baltimore Ravens. Peters’ trade seems unlikely for now, but Baltimore may think differently.