With the Arizona Cardinals looking to reunite quarterback Kyler Murray with many of his former Oklahoma teammates this offseason, perhaps they could be interested in Baltimore Ravens offensive lineman Ben Powers.
It’s a scenario worth exploring after the Cardinals traded for former Buffalo Bills second-round pick Cody Ford on Monday. This, of course, comes just a few months after Arizona sent a first-round pick to the Ravens for Murray’s former top college receiver, Marquise Brown.
It’s clear that the Cardinals are doing everything they can to surround Murray with as much familiarity as possible this offseason, and with Powers potentially on the trade block, it’s not far-fetched to imagine a potential trade between these two teams.
First Brown. Then Ford. Next, Powers?
Could Ravens OG Ben Powers be traded to the Cardinals?
From the Ravens’ perspective, trading Powers does make some sense as long as they get back equal value. The former fourth-round pick is currently fighting for the starting left guard job with the likes of Tyre Phillips and Ben Cleveland.
Right now, he and Phillips appear to be the two favorites for the job, although the Ravens haven’t made any official announcements just yet. That doesn’t mean Powers is untouchable, however.
The Ravens have even been using the former Oklahoma lineman at center as well this summer, something that only serves to increase his trade value.
If the Cardinals were willing to send a fifth-round pick to the Bills for Ford — a player on the final year of his contract who has never finished with a Pro Football Focus grade north of 55.0 — perhaps they’d be willing to do the same for Powers.
Now, the Cardinals don’t necessarily need another offensive lineman. Justin Pugh and Will Hernandez are the two projected starting guards and Ford adds much-needed depth to the unit. That said, injuries could necessitate a move.
The likes of Marquis Hayes, Danny Isadora, and Justin Murray have all dealt with injuries this summer. Rookie Lecitus Smith got banged up in Sunday’s preseason game. The Cardinals could use some extra depth.
It also helps that the Ravens and Cardinals just played each other Sunday night. Powers may very well have been auditioning for a role on another team.
If the Ravens are going to trade Ben Powers, it would make sense to reunite him with his former college teammates in Arizona. At the very least, I’m sure Kyler Murray would support the move.