If Derek Wolfe had his way, he would have been a member of the Baltimore Ravens far sooner. In a press conference to announce his one-year deal, Wolfe said he considered asking Denver Broncos general manager John Elway to trade him to the Ravens at the trade deadline last year.
Baltimore already pulled off one trade at the deadline in 2019, getting cornerback Marcus Peters from the Los Angeles Rams in exchange for a fifth-round pick and linebacker Kenny Young. With general manager Eric DeCosta pulling off a bunch of trades since taking over for Ozzie Newsome, it’s a deal that would have made a little too much sense for the Ravens, as long as the price was right.
Derek Wolfe on entering free agency.
"My first choice was the Ravens."Wolfe said he was looking at the Ravens at the trade deadline last year.
"I was going to ask John Elway for the trade [to Baltimore]"#RavensFlock— MatthewStevens (@MatthewS_NFL) April 3, 2020
By the trade deadline (Oct. 29), Wolfe had already accounted for four sacks, six quarterback hits, 22 combined tackles with five for a loss and a forced fumble over eight games. Though Wolfe ended up dislocating his elbow and getting put on injured reserve after just four more games following the trade deadline, it could have been the final piece of the puzzle for the Ravens.
Baltimore struggled to get sacks last season in spite of blitzing at a league-high 54.9% (11.5% higher than second-place Tampa Bay Buccaneers). Wolfe’s production as a pass rusher would have been much welcomed and clearly the Ravens like what he brings on run defense. Had Wolfe gotten traded to Baltimore and remained healthy, he could have been enough to get the team over the hump and Tennessee Titans in the playoffs.
Sadly, there was no trade but it’s enough to make you think about what might be this season.
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