Mink: Don't think of the trade deadline as shopping at Costco, where anything you could possibly want is at your fingertips. While there were a couple jaw-dropping moves made by the New York Jets shipping out young superstars Sauce Gardner and Quinnen Williams, there wasn't a surge of trade volume.
Since the start of the season through the trade deadline, only one offensive lineman was dealt. Trevor Penning, a former first-round offensive tackle who has struggled and transitioned to left guard, was dealt from the Saints to the Chargers. While we don't know what calls the Ravens made or who teams put on the trade block, the fact that only one offensive lineman around the whole league was dealt indicates that it wasn't a rich market.
Plus, the Ravens believe in their offensive line and feel guards Daniel Faalele and Andrew Vorhees are improving. Baltimore's offensive line ranks 18th in the NFL, according to Pro Football Focus. While it hasn't been a team strength, the Ravens clearly didn't feel it was a weakness worth spending major resources (or any) to upgrade.
It's a similar story at defensive tackle. Williams was the only one to get moved and the Cowboys gave up first- and second-round picks to get him. The Ravens were never going to make that big a move because it's not part of their team philosophy of protecting first-round picks, drafting, and developing.
Adding Dre'Mont Jones for considerably less does benefit the Ravens in the trenches. He's a physical outside linebacker who will have a ripple effect on the entire defensive front.
Again, we'll likely never know if the Ravens were "close" on making other deals. I thought they could pick up a defensive lineman, but obviously they didn't feel there was a good trade to make (or perhaps any even on the table).
Brown: U.S. Bank Stadium in Minnesota may be the loudest road venue that the Ravens encounter this season, and it will challenge their offense. The environment will make it more difficult for Lamar Jackson to communicate with teammates before the play clock expires.
"We're going to have to be on point," Head Coach John Harbaugh said on Monday. "It's loud from the first play to the last play, and they have horns going off and everything else. It's going to have to be a silent, signal communication game on offense, for sure, and we're going to have to handle that pressure."
The Ravens can't afford to let the noise force them into untimely pre-snap penalties, or limit what they can execute offensively. They are tied for the sixth-fewest penalties in the NFL this season (6.1 per game) and have committed 18 pre-snap penalties, tied for 10th fewest in the league. That's an improvement over 2024, when they finished with 45 pre-snap penalties, which ranked as the 16th fewest.
Paying close attention to Jackson's hand signals and other non-verbal cues will be critical, and Baltimore's offensive linemen will be challenged to stay on the same page. Offensive Coordinator Todd Monken said during training camp that he wanted the Ravens to be "elite" at cadence and pre-snap execution. This game will put that goal to the test.
Mink: No, I don't think we'll see Jordan Stout taking kickoffs. Harbaugh made it clear that he didn't like Tyler Loop's first kickoff in Miami, which landed at the 18-yard line and was returned 25 yards up the left sideline. But overall, I think Loop has been more consistent with his kickoffs as the season has progressed, and he's used a variety of different ones.
Since you brought up Stout, it's worth noting that he's having a fantastic season. He's leading the league in net yards per punt (46) and is fifth in average yards per punt (51.4). Stout has had a breakout fourth season and is among the many Ravens in a contract year.
Brown: Emery Jones Jr. said late last month that he felt ready to play, after returning to practice Oct. 1 and being activated to the 53-man roster on Oct. 22 following his recovery from offseason shoulder surgery.
Jones was mostly a right tackle in college, but with Ronnie Stanley and Roger Rosengarten at the tackle spots, Jones' clearest path to playing time could be at guard.
However, Vorhees had a solid game at left guard against the Dolphins in Week 8 and was given the team's fifth-highest offensive grade by Pro Football Focus (78.8). Neither Vorhees nor Faalele has missed a start this season, and the coaching staff values cohesiveness up front.
With the Ravens on a two-game winning streak and their offensive line healthy, I don't anticipate Jones playing this week, barring an injury to a starter. But he's an intriguing talent who may become a factor as the season progresses.
