Pundit Says Ravens Should Be Buyers As Long As Lamar Jackson Is Healthy
With the Nov. 4 trade deadline less than three weeks away, speculation about buyers, sellers, and available players is heating up.
Typically, 1-5 teams are firmly in the "sellers" category. The Ravens, however, are not a typical 1-5 team.
The Ravens entered the season as Super Bowl favorites because they have an abundance of talent. While it's true that Baltimore was not playing up to its standard (at least defensively) even before suffering a rash of injuries to key players, there's no question that injuries have been a factor in the team's rough start.
The good news is that the Ravens figure to be close to full strength coming out of this week's bye. The best news is that Lamar Jackson (hamstring) is expected to return for the Week 8 contest against the Chicago Bears after missing the past two games.
The Athletic's Mike Sando said Jackson's health should be the deciding factor as to whether the Ravens should be buyers or sellers.
"If Lamar Jackson is playing, then I would still be in the mode of, 'Let's go. Are there a couple of these holes that we could possibly fill?'" Sando said on “Glenn Clark Radio.” "You usually don't fix everything at the trade deadline. … I do think, though, sometimes just making a move if you feel like your team needs a jolt … do you make the type of move that people go, 'Wow, we're serious, we're in this?' I think as a GM, you have to be measuring your locker room that way.
"If you think [Jackson] is going to be OK, maybe you do send a message to your locker room: 'Hey guys, we're serious. Are you?'"
Ravens players and Head Coach John Harbaugh have made it clear that they are committed to overcoming the odds and making the playoffs.
"The Ravens are a fascinating team to watch ahead of the trade deadline," ESPN’s Dan Graziano wrote. "They've already been active. Last week they traded Odafe Oweh [to the Los Angeles Chargers] from an already thin pass-rush group to get safety Alohi Gilman. That's an unconventional in-season move, but Baltimore is now 1-5 and desperate for any kind of answers in a season that had carried Super Bowl hopes.
"Will it go out and add more pass-rush help on the trade market? Are there players on the roster we might not assume are available (like Oweh) but could be if Baltimore determines it could solve a problem with another player-for-player deal? If the Ravens lose in Weeks 8 and 9 and are 1-7, could they be dealing players for picks at the deadline? These next few weeks are critical ones for the organization, which has another Lamar Jackson extension situation looming and could have big decisions to make if this season continues to get away from them."
ESPN's Jeremy Fowler named running back Keaton Mitchell as another player the Ravens might be willing to part with in a trade.
"He has game-changing speed but is the odd man out in the Ravens' backfield," Fowler wrote. "It's worth noting that Chargers GM Joe Hortiz was with Baltimore when the team signed Mitchell as an undrafted free agent in 2023."
Former Ravens Guard Kevin Zeitler Floated As Potential Trade Target
Harbaugh said earlier this week that personnel changes on the offensive line are "absolutely" under consideration.
If the Ravens want to make a change on the interior of the line, they have in-house options in Ben Cleveland and Corey Bullock, but Sports Illustrated’s Henry Brown said Baltimore should attempt to reunite with Tennessee Titans guard Kevin Zeitler before the trade deadline.
The Titans (1-5) fired Head Coach Brian Callahan earlier this week and could be looking to move some of their veterans.
Zeitler, 35, has been durable and dependable throughout his 14-year career. He played three seasons with the Ravens, making his first Pro Bowl in 2023 before departing in free agency.
This season, Zeitler has a 69.5 overall grade (19th out of 109 guards) by Pro Football Focus, 72.7 pass-blocking grade (18th), and 66.6 run-blocking grade (30th).
Looking at How Derrick Henry Found Success Against Rams
One of the positive takeaways from the Ravens' 17-3 loss to the Los Angeles Rams this past Sunday was the resurgence of running back Derrick Henry. After being held to 148 rushing yards over his four previous games, Henry gained 122 yards on 24 carries.
The Baltimore Banner’s Jonas Shaffer looked at how Henry was able to be successful against a tough Rams run defense.
"Most of that production (18 carries for 90 yards) came on outside zone and 'stretch' runs, according to Sports Info Solutions," Shaffer wrote. "Both blocking schemes call on offensive linemen to move in unison toward one side of the field, responsible for blocking zones instead of specific defenders. From there, the running back reads his blocks and can either 'bend' back to the weak side of the play, 'bang' into an open rushing lane or 'bounce' the run outside the tackle.
"Henry is well versed in the nuances of the schemes. During his career-best 2,027-yard season with the Titans in 2020, over a third of his production came on outside zone and stretch runs. The Ravens leaned into the concepts late last season, too: In a Week 16 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers, Henry rushed for 89 yards (11.1 per carry) in outside zone and stretch plays; two weeks later, in a win over the Cleveland Browns, he ran for 71 yards (10.1 per carry) in the schemes."
Shaffer noted that the Ravens relied heavily on outside zone plays in the season-opener against the Buffalo Bills, as Henry gained 107 of his 169 rushing yards on 10 carries in the scheme, but they went away from it in subsequent games.
"Over the next four weeks, as the Ravens struggled to win up front, Henry had just seven total outside zone and stretch runs for 19 yards, with fewer carries in each successive game. (Backup Justice Hill, meanwhile, had just four in the same span, taking one for a 71-yard touchdown in a blowout loss to the Kansas City Chiefs," Shaffer wrote.
Offensive Coordinator Todd Monken talked earlier this week about what goes into the decision to use certain schemes against a given opponent.
"Each game, we go into it thinking, 'OK, what is our best way to move the football?" Monken said. "[Whether it's] run [or] pass – anything that we do – the screen game, and some games, we're going to lean more heavily on outside zone, downhill runs, or some may be more gap schemes. So, it's more team specific, but we certainly are capable of getting into whether it's tight zone, wide zone, or gap schemes, right? [It's] all of the above. We are certainly capable of getting to that."
