When the Baltimore Ravens fired John Harbaugh, it was a risk. It was a move that was needed, but they were still firing a highly successful head coach with 18 years of experience. That’s tough to replace, and while they hired an exciting first-year head coach in Jesse Minter, it turns out the firing was a risk in more ways than one.
It feels like Harbaugh has made it his mission to annoy Ravens fans as much as possible this offseason. In free agency, his new team, the New York Giants, signed five former Ravens: Isaiah Likely, Jordan Stout, Patrick Ricard, Ar’Darius Washington, and Daniel Faalele. Now, he’s continued to be a thorn in Baltimore’s side.
On Saturday night, New York made the anticipated trade of Dexter Lawrence. They traded him to the Cincinnati Bengals for the 10th overall pick. That’s rough. A division rival just got themselves an elite player. Thanks, John.
Baltimore Ravens continue to deal with the John Harbaugh thorn this offseason
The Ravens were already dealing with some annoying defensive fronts in the AFC North. The Cleveland Browns and Pittsburgh Steelers have had incredibly strong pass rush groups led by Myles Garrett and T.J. Watt, respectively, but after signing Trey Hendrickson, at least they could fall back on not having to deal with a ferocious Bengals’ defensive line. Well, that might change now.
Cincinnati was already revamping that area this offseason with additions like Boye Mafe and Jonathan Allen, but Lawrence is on a different level. The Giants obviously didn’t giftwrap him to the Bengals; they got the No. 10 pick in return, but Harbaugh likely having a part in dealing him to an AFC North rival feels like a backstab, nonetheless.
Was Baltimore ever in play for Lawrence? At this point, we don’t know. It could’ve made sense for them to acquire one last piece to the interior defensive line, especially with Nnamdi Madubuike’s future, albeit optimistic, being uncertain for now. General manager Eric DeCosta probably wasn’t going to part with a first-round pick anyway, though.
The decision to fire Harbaugh hasn’t necessarily brought bad blood. Both sides seem happy with the directions they’re heading in, but Harbaugh has undoubtedly been a troubling obstacle for the Ravens to mount. New York’s latest move to help out the Bengals makes Harbaugh's presence in the Big Apple all the more infuriating. A Lawrence trade elsewhere would’ve been nice.
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