Ravens deal Chuck Clark for a wide receiver in clever trade proposal

In one trade proposal, the Baltimore Ravens deal star safety Chuck Clark for New York Giants’ wide receiver Darius Slayton. Is the swap worth it?

At this point in the offseason, trades are all about plugging in roster holes, and the needs for both the Ravens and Giants are both quite obvious: the Ravens need a veteran wide receiver, and the Giants need a starting safety.

A potential Clark/Slayton trade projects to be a square-peg-square-hole situation in which both the teams and players get exactly what they want.

Rumors continue to swirl around Chuck Clark leaving the team despite John Harbaugh insisting that Clark would be included in the Ravens’ plans for 2022.

After New York took Wan’Dale Robinson in the second round of the draft, the coaches in the Big Apple may consider putting wideout Darius Slayton on the trade block.

The folks over at Russell Street Report wisely suggested a trade in which the Ravens acquire Slayton from the Giants and give up Chuck Clark in return; on paper, at least, the deal seems like a fine idea.

Slayton, a former fifth-round pick by the Giants, enjoyed a productive rookie year in New York but his 2021 performance, like that of several other Giants’ offensive players, was disappointing.

The 25-year-old receiver recorded 26 catches for 339 yards and two touchdowns with a 44 percent catch rate and toppled down the depth chart to become a fringe WR4.

The Ravens could strike a deal with the Giants in a Chuck Clark/Darius Slayton swap

This past season with the Giants could have been his last, and Slayton will want to jumpstart his career elsewhere, perhaps in Baltimore.

The Ravens seem content with their wide receiver room for now, but that could change mid-season if their young talent fails to impress on the field.

Trading for a veteran wide receiver would be the prudent thing to do, and despite Slayton’s abysmal numbers last year (keep in mind the quarterbacks he was playing with) he carries a good amount of upside as a red-zone threat having scored eight touchdowns in his rookie year.

As for what the Giants get in this trade, Chuck Clark is not “just” a starting safety. He’s been the defensive captain and team leader of the Ravens for the past three years, and New York could be getting a bonafide franchise player in him.

Clark can reunite with former defensive coordinator Wink Martindale, and Baltimore can save a bit of cap space while obtaining a solid wide receiver for cheap.

Besides, the Ravens have almost too many safeties to know what to do with: Kyle Hamilton, Marcus Williams, Brandon Stephens, Tony Jefferson, Geno Stone.

The team can technically afford to lose Clark, although we’d imagine it’d take a draft pick along with Slayton to make such a deal desirable in Baltimore’s eyes.

Just because a trade makes sense doesn’t mean it will actually happen, and in truth, Clark may be too valuable to trade. But if Chuck Clark himself wants out of the franchise, much like a certain wide receiver did, Baltimore may be forced to make a move.