The Baltimore Ravens poached Chicago Bears offensive coordinator Declan Doyle this offseason in a rare lateral move for an NFL coach. But the promise to call plays and run his own offense, which he couldn't do under Ben Johnson but can under Jesse Minter, was enough to sell him on the venture.
And after a slow start on this front in free agency, the Ravens ended up doing a whole lot to support their first-year play-caller this offseason. Yes, Baltimore gave up Tyler Linderbaum, Isaiah Likely, Charlie Kolar and Keaton Mitchell, but they have seemingly added more than they've lost.
But in a win-now window for the Ravens, good isn't good enough. They can't just hope to slide by; they must control their own destiny. In that vein, a perfect addition to the offense is potentially up for grabs on an NFC roster, one who Doyle knows well. But ESPN currently has the acquisition price too high.
ESPN proposes palatable trade for Baltimore Ravens to reunite Cole Kmet with Declan Doyle
That player, of course, is Chicago Bears tight end Cole Kmet, who we've written about before as a Ravens target. But ESPN's Dan Graziano pitched a potential trade for Kmet on Wednesday, and the price is far too steep for a player of his caliber and for how (not so) badly Baltimore needs a tight end.
- Bears get:Â 2028 third-round pick
- Ravens get:Â Kmet
"Why this deal makes sense: A 2027 third-rounder seems a tad rich straight up, and the Bears are short on 2027 middle-rounds picks after the Garrett Bradbury trade. So here they still get a valuable Day 2 pick, just delayed a year, while the Ravens get some badly needed help at a position that was hollowed out by the departures of Isaiah Likely and Charlie Kolar."
Yes, the departures of Kolar and, in particular, Likely, will hurt. Behind Mark Andrews, who is somewhat of a question mark himself, the Ravens are staring at Durham Smythe, who played for Doyle last year in Chicago, and rookies Matthew Hibner and Josh Cuevas. It's not exactly a proven group.
But a third rounder is premier capital. Fans know how reluctant Eric DeCosta was to give up two first-rounders this offseason for Maxx Crosby, and although these two deals are of completely different magnitudes, it goes to show that Baltimore is stingy with its draft picks.
Kmet would be a nice one-two punch with Andrews, and perhaps he is capable of showing more alongside Andrews than he did alongside Coleston Loveland and a great group of Bears receivers last year. But you can't go down the rabbit hole of "projections" for a 27-year-old when talking trades.
After signing Smythe, adding Kmet would be like getting the band back together for Doyle. But everyone has a price. Kmet peaked in 2023 with 719 yards and six touchdowns, but has recorded just 821 yards and six scores in the two seasons since then. That's not worth a third-round pick.
DeCosta could obviously talk to Chicago GM Ryan Poles and talk down this price, but this feels like a very rich starting point for a player who, between his production and the most expensive year on his contract being in 2027, isn't really worth a Day 2 pick.
The absolute starting point for a deal should be a conditional fourth-rounder, the condition being that Kmet makes a Pro Bowl or eclipses the 1,000-yard mark. If a third-rounder really is the price for Kmet, then it should be no dice from Baltimore, even if it'd be nice familiarity for Doyle and a solid addition.
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