The Baltimore Ravens need some improvements on the defensive side of the ball, as free agency has ravaged their depth and overall star power. While the secondary has been the least impacted of the three levels of the defense, the Ravens could stand to take a swing at cornerback.
Brandon Stephens is perfectly serviceable, but it's hard to envision him making the leap to Pro Bowl level. Marlon Humphrey remains a quality player, but his recent run of injuries make it tough to roll into the 2024 season with him as the top dog and feel tons of confidence.
One player who could fix their injury woes, as suggested by Bleacher Report's Maurice Moton, is New Orleans Saints cornerback Marshon Lattimore. While the Saints are cap compliant, their financial outlook beyond this year isn't the rosiest thing in the world. More trades could be in the works.
Moton believes the Ravens could acquire Lattimore for a similar price to what the Detroit Lions paid the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to acquire Carlton Davis (two sixth-rounders and davis for a third-round pick). New Orleans would also be free to develop Paulson Adebo and Alontae Taylor.
Highest Average Paid CBs
— Spotrac (@spotrac) March 26, 2024
1. Jaire Alexander, $21M
2. Denzel Ward, $20.1M
3. Marshon Lattimore, $19.52M
4. Marlon Humphrey, $19.5M
5. Trevon Diggs, $19.4M
6. L'Jarius Sneed, $19.1M
B/R trade proposal sends Marshon Lattimore to Baltimore Ravens
Lattimore is both expensive and hurt often, which is quite the 1-2 punch in terms of killing your value as a trade candidate. While he has missed 17 games in the last two years, the former No. 11 pick has made a Pro Bowl in every season in which he's played at least 13 contests as a pro.
While Lattimore was used to doing it all as the main man in the Saints secondary, joining a team that has Humphrey along with arguably the best safety duo in the league in Kyle Hamilton and former teammate Marcus Williams would be able to help him cover up for his injury concerns and mistakes.
Lattimore may not be what he was, but he's still a quality starter in this league. With a tremendous ability to swat away passes and a history of being particularly adept at covering bigger receivers, the Ravens might be willing to absorb one of the biggest cap hits of any cornerback in the league.
Drafting and developing is a fine way to build a team, but Eric DeCosta would be foolish to keep overlooking improvements like Lattimore for the sake of letting the young guys run. Lattimore still has lots of juice left in the tank, which could lead to a possible trade if the Saints start selling.