Ravens could trade for five-time Pro Bowler to upgrade the trenches
By Matt Sidney
The Baltimore Ravens feel like they're on deck to make the next big NFL trade.
The New York Jets and Buffalo Bills kicked off trade season with splashy receiver trades for Davante Adams and Amari Cooper, respectively. Those major trades pushed the Kansas City Chiefs all-in as they made a receiver trade of their own, acquiring DeAndre Hopkins from the Tennessee Titans.
However, the Chiefs weren't done just yet. They made another move, this time with the New England Patriots, to bring in outside linebacker Josh Uche to assist their already dominant defense.
The moves signal a bigger picture in the AFC - the top teams aren't going to wait around to see if their offseason hopes will eventually pan out. Immediacy is the name of the game for the AFC's elite this season, and if the Ravens don't pick up the phone soon, it could be too late.
The 5-3 Ravens have a myriad of holes to fill. The pass-rushing group has been inconsistent, the defensive backs have been awful, and the interior offensive line has struggled. To keep pace with the AFC's top teams, the Ravens could look to plug one of those holes with a five-time Pro Bowl lineman on a struggling AFC South team.
Would a Jacksonville Jaguars Brandon Scherff trade help the Baltimore Ravens?
The Jacksonville Jaguars are 2-6 and firmly out of the playoff conversation. While they haven't held a firesale yet, it feels like it'll only be a matter of time before the team looks towards the future and moves on from some pieces. One piece who could be on the move this trade deadline season is guard Brandon Scherff.
Would the Jaguars be willing to trade Scherff, and does he make sense for this Ravens team? David Latham from Last Word on Sports believes so.
He states, "Baltimore began the 2024 offseason by losing starting guards Kevin Zeitler and John Simpson to the New York Jets and Detroit Lions, respectively. With limited resources, the Ravens had no choice but to trust the players already on the roster to fill these voids. So far, that hasn’t gone according to plan, as Patrick Mekari, Daniel Faalele, and Andrew Vorhees have all struggled when given opportunities, and trade candidate Ben Cleveland can barely make the field."
The Ravens could use some interior help. Among the three most popular rotation players, Patrick Mekari has the best overall grade (61.0), per Pro Football Focus. He ranks 55th in the NFL among offensive guards. That's not great.
Brandon Scherff ranks 39th with an overall grade of 65.6, with an impressive pass-blocking grade of 73.2, which ranks 22nd. He'd definitely be an upgrade in the interior. While Scherff is past his perennial Pro Bowl days, he's still a reliable and formidable starter. He'd be an immediate upgrade over anyone Baltimore is currently fielding.
Could Baltimore fans see Scherff suited up in purple and black for the upcoming game against the Denver Broncos on Nov. 3?