The Baltimore Ravens plugged their hole at running back in the most emphatic way possible, signing Derrick Henry in the early stages of NFL free agency. The backfield is set, but the offensive line looks less reliable than ever after the latest Morgan Moses news.
Moses signed a three-year contract with the Ravens in 2022, and he has been a quality right tackle for this offense during the past two seasons. Even with his performance taken into account, Eric DeCosta decided to move away from his trusted veteran in an unusual trade.
The Ravens traded Moses to the New York Jets, who recently signed 2023 Baltimore left guard John Simpson to a two-year contract, and the No. 134 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft in exchange for the Jets' fourth-round pick at No. 112 overall and a sixth-round choice at No. 218 overall.
Moses reunites with Joe Douglas and a Jets team he once called home before signing with Baltimore, while the Ravens save some money and open up a hole at right tackle. The timing of this move seems a bit odd, as the offensive line is looking less sturdy when compared to last year.
Trade/Reunion: Ravens are sending starting right tackle Morgan Moses to the New York Jets as part of a pick swap, per sources.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) March 13, 2024
Trade:
🏈Jets receive: Moses and a 4th-round pick (No. 134 overall).
🏈Ravens receive: 4th-round pick (No. 112) and 6th-round pick (No. 218). pic.twitter.com/vYLVlK5vLy
Baltimore Ravens trade Morgan Moses to Jets for draft picks
The Ravens decided to keep Ronnie Stanley on a reworked contract, but the rest of the offensive line is now a complete question mark outside of Tyler Linderbaum. Simpson is also a Jet, Kevin Zeitler is a free agent, and the internal options to replace those two aren't necessarily amazing.
The ultra-versatile Patrick Mekari could be considered a possible right tackle fill-in if needed, and longtime backup Daniel Faalele could finally be ready to assume a starting role if Baltimore believes he is ready. It seems unlikely that either of them will reach the heights Moses did in 2023.
While Faalele and Moses started to rotate snaps later in the year, and Moses did allow five sacks, he graded out as both a solid pass protector and run blocker for an MVP quarterback in Lamar Jackson. Moses missed three games last year, but that was the only time since 2015 that he didn't play in every game with his respective team.
The Jets are getting a quality veteran, while the Ravens have even more draft ammunition to go about rebuilding their offensive line. However, if the Ravens miss out on may of the best tackles in this draft class and free agency mad dash, this trade could come back to bite them.