The Baltimore Ravens have already had a very active weekend. Not even 24 hours after their dominant preseason finale victory over the Washington Commanders, their roster moves are coming fast and furious.
Early Saturday, they traded defensive lineman C.J. Okoye to the New York Giants and have also made a flurry of roster cuts. Most recently, they added another trade to their laundry list. The Ravens agreed to a trade that would send offensive tackle Diego Pounds to the Kansas City Chiefs.
In return? Baltimore will receive a conditional 2028 sixth-round pick. That's pretty good value for a player signed as an undrafted free agent this spring.
While Pounds was a preseason darling, this is smart business from the Ravens. They get something for a player they were probably going to lose for nothing.
Baltimore Ravens trade Diego Pounds to the Kansas City Chiefs
You know general manager Eric DeCosta loves his draft picks. He netted a 2028 seventh-round selection from the Giants for Okoye, and now he nets another late-round pick from the Chiefs. The Ravens always seem to have a ton of draft picks, and it shouldn’t be any shock that DeCosta is already starting to stockpile more for the future.
As for Diego Pounds, he simply didn’t have room in Charm City. His preseason performances were great—he was one of the better offensive linemen that the Ravens trotted out there over the past three weeks. Unfortunately, he didn’t see ample opportunities, and he was stacked up behind several other offensive linemen.
Nothing’s set in stone yet, but it’s looked like Baltimore was going to keep four backup linemen from the get-go. Backups like Carson Vinson, Gerad Lichtenhan, Andrew Vorhees, Jovaughn Gwyn, Emery Jones Jr., and Corey Bullock were all fighting to claim a spot. That’s six guys dueling for four (maybe five) spots. And that’s before we could even get to Pounds’ case to make the roster.
It hurts seeing Pounds go to the Chiefs. You never want to trade with your rivals, and that’s exactly what Kansas City has been to Baltimore over the last several years. They’ve been a thorn in the Ravens’ side, and they just got better by adding Pounds to their offensive line depth. It’s a marginal improvement, but it’s helpful nonetheless.
Regardless, it’s awesome to receive something in return for Pounds. With how good he looked in the preseason, it was becoming increasingly likely that he’d get scooped up on waivers.
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