Baltimore Ravens’ Orlando Brown Jr. played at a Pro Bowl level at left tackle last season, filling in for the injured Ronnie Stanley. Now, he wants to stay there, which means he wants to be traded to a team willing and able to make it happen. According to NFL Network’s Mike Garofolo, six teams are showing interest, holding ongoing conversations with Brown’s representatives.
Though the exact teams haven’t been revealed, it’s not surprising Brown has suitors. In his three seasons in the NFL, Brown has earned Pro Bowl nominations the last two — both at left and right tackle. He still has one year remaining on his rookie contract, an important note as the 2021 NFL salary cap took a massive dive from last year, the first time in over a decade there’s been any reduction.
At his pre-free-agency press conference, Ravens general manager Eric DeCosta didn’t tip his hand when asked about Brown’s trade request.
“He’s under contract, and he understands that,” DeCosta said Tuesday. “He and I have had some discussions; we’ve spoken on the phone. I’ve spoken to his agents, who I have a lot of respect for; [they are] two of the best guys in the business. We’ll do what’s best for Orlando, and we’ll do what’s best for the Ravens. These things take time sometimes. A lot of different scenarios in how this thing could play out, but we are blessed to have him on the team.”
Baltimore saw the value of their offensive line last season after injuries, the retirement of Marshal Yanda, and poor play clearly impacted the performance of the offense at times. It’s expected the Ravens will focus their attention on revamping the offensive line this offseason, having holes at center and right guard already. If Baltimore does trade Brown, they’ll need to find starters at three of the five positions on the offensive line, and that’s if Stanley can return to the lineup after a gruesome ankle injury that put him on injured reserve.
Though Baltimore’s offensive line woes have been a little overhyped, it’s not an ideal situation for the Ravens, who are viewed by many as Super Bowl contenders. Time will tell if Brown does indeed get traded and what type of value Baltimore can extract from the situation.
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