Wide receiver has been one of the top needs for the Baltimore Ravens this offseason. They have yet to address it, though, and on Tuesday, the Denver Broncos acquired one of the top wideouts available on the trade market: Jaylen Waddle.
Waddle was never in the cards for Baltimore. While they need size, Waddle brings twitchiness, similar to Zay Flowers. Nonetheless, it doesn’t help now that the Dolphins could go after a wideout with their first-round selection in the 2026 NFL Draft. They pick 11th overall, while the Ravens pick 14th, and could very well pick a coveted wide receiver off Baltimore’s board.
The good news? The Ravens could instead shift their focus to protecting quarterback Lamar Jackson. Sure, he needs a deeper receiver room, but offensive line help may be more important. With the Dolphins potentially targeting a wide receiver, there may be better offensive linemen available for Baltimore once it’s their turn to pick.
Baltimore Ravens could land a top offensive line prospect after Dolphins’ Jaylen Waddle trade
The Ravens have already addressed the offensive line a little bit this offseason. They signed guard John Simpson to a three-year, $30 million contract, and added depth pieces like Jovaughn Gwyn and Danny Pinter, both of whom bring versatility along the interior. They obviously still have a need for a starting center, though, and maybe even another guard.
Three-time Pro Bowl center Tyler Linderbaum departed for the Las Vegas Raiders in free agency. Baltimore could look to fill that void with a prospect like Utah’s Spencer Fano, who’s gotten some looks at center during the draft process. If that’s the route that they want to go in early on, Miami should be one less team they’ll have to worry about in challenging them for Fano.
If it’s offensive line in round one, guard is the more likely option. Penn State’s Olaivavega Ioane has been connected with the Ravens pretty much since mock draft season began, and there have also been mocks that have Miami Hurricane Francis Mauigoa falling outside of the top 10. Both are players that the Dolphins could take, but as a new era gets underway with a new quarterback in Malik Willis, they may want to pair him with a bona fide wide receiver number one. That could pave the way for one of Ioane or Mauigoa in Charm City.
Of course, alongside Simpson, 2025 third-round selection Emery Jones Jr. is expected to occupy the other guard spot. It'd be a major decision to phase out a higher-valued selection from just a year ago. However, the Ravens need to go all-in on protecting Jackson, and there’d be a huge difference between what a first-round pick and what a third-round pick can bring. Ioane and Mauigoa, and even Fano if he plays guard instead of center, would likely be far better than Jones.
The Dolphins could still draft one of these offensive linemen in the first round, but by trading Waddle, they may have put themselves in a bigger market for a wide receiver. Baltimore could capitalize on that with a significant offensive line upgrade.