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Baltimore Ravens general manager Eric DeCosta clearly isn’t afraid to pull off trades this offseason. After putting together a deal for Jaguars defensive end Calais Campbell, DeCosta and the Ravens are set to trade tight end Hayden Hurst to the Atlanta Falcons in return for two draft picks.
Considering how valuable tight ends are in Baltimore’s scheme, the move is surprising. That’s especially the case considering Hurst was a first-round pick in the 2018 NFL Draft and had started to come into his own last season. Hurst’s 349 receiving yards in 2019 ranked third on the team behind fellow tight end Mark Andrews and rookie wide receiver Marquise Brown.
However, the deal also makes some sense for Baltimore when looking at their depth chart. They had trouble getting Hurst into an impactful role in the lineup considering the emergence of Andrews as the team’s top receiving weapon and Nick Boyle as one of the league’s best blocking tight ends. Though there should be little doubt Hurst can be an effective weapon both in the receiving game and as a blocker, his value was limited on the Ravens’ roster.
In return, Baltimore gets an additional second-round pick, which will be incredibly valuable this year. The 2020 NFL Draft is considered very deep at wide receiver, and there are a number of early-round pass rushers who could make an immediate impact. The additional second-round pick gives Baltimore four top-100 picks, which should give them plenty of chances to pick up impact players.
The move does complicate the Ravens’ offseason needs, though. While Hurst only caught 30 passes last season, Baltimore will need more receiving help to fill the void left by the trade. They could look to free agency to find a suitable replacement, but tight end is thin there as well in the draft. It will be interesting to see how the Ravens fill their depth chart at tight end and whether they make a stronger push to add wide receiver help.
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