Here’s what The Baltimore Sun sports staff had to say immediately after the NFL’s trade deadline passed. The Ravens added outside linebacker Dre’Mont Jones from the Titans on Monday, giving up a conditional fifth-round pick to bring in the pass rusher. Baltimore opted not to bring in additional defensive help or any interior offensive linemen ahead of Tuesday afternoon’s deadline.
Brian Wacker, reporter
Head scratching is about the best way to summarize the Ravens’ inactivity as Tuesday’s 4 p.m. trade deadline came and went without any additional moves. On Monday night, they acquired outside linebacker Dre’Mont Jones for a fifth-round pick, a modest and low-risk move that adds depth and some production to a group in desperate need of both. Jones has 4 1/2 sacks this season — all coming in the past four games — and he should provide a little boost in the pass rush. But it was surprising that Baltimore did not address its needs on the interior defensive line or along the offensive line, particularly at guard.
General manager Eric DeCosta likes to hoard draft picks, so while others like the Indianapolis Colts and Dallas Cowboys made blockbuster moves, Baltimore sat tight. Still, this was one of the busiest deadline days in more than three decades but the Ravens apparently didn’t like any potential deals that were in the works and instead chose to roll with their current roster along with any moves they could look to make on the waiver wire.
Sam Cohn, reporter
Can you blame a Ravens fan for waking up Tuesday morning clutching their pearls, praying the front office might take a swing, only to be left feeling like an outsider as push notifications announced big-name moves for other teams? Tuesday tied the third most trades on any deadline day in 35 years. The Ravens were quiet, only coming away with a short-term fix Monday night in the form of a physical power rusher on a hot streak. Still, this feels like the Ravens either wanted to strike gold but wouldn’t meet the demands or have seen enough through this two-game win streak to feel confident in the current roster.
Either way, Baltimore already brought in a needle mover in safety Alohi Gilman and should have defensive lineman Carl Lawson available this weekend. So don’t think of this deadline as a quiet Tuesday – DeCosta was never going to shell out desperate amounts of cash, anyway. Hit the pillow Tuesday night wondering if Gilman, Lawson and Jones were the right additions. The 3-5 Ravens don’t have any other choices now.
C.J. Doon, editor
If the Ravens had traded for both safety Alohi Gilman and pass rusher Dre’Mont Jones on deadline day, we might feel a little differently about this haul. Such is the instant gratification of the hot stove. But as a package deal, those are two pretty solid additions. We’ve already seen how important Gilman is for the structure of the defense, allowing Kyle Hamilton to wreak havoc closer to the line of scrimmage. Jones’ resume is promising, especially considering the run of sacks he’s been on lately. The Ravens’ track record when acquiring pass rushers is spotty (see: Yannick Ngakoue), but Jones has a chance to elevate a unit that has been a disappointment thus far because of underperformance and injuries.
That leads us to Nnamdi Madubuike. Even if his neck injury is something the star defensive tackle can eventually come back from, the Ravens should be thinking about both a near- and long-term replacement for the two-time Pro Bowl selection. The price for the Jets’ Quinnen Williams (DT Mazi Smith, 2026 second-round pick, 2027 first-round pick) was a dramatic overpay for the Cowboys — that’s not something the draft-minded Ravens would ever do. But surely there was a starter-level interior defensive linemen to be acquired somewhere … right?
It’s easy to sit back and say the Ravens should have been more aggressive to repair a beat up and underperforming roster during Lamar Jackson’s prime, especially when the needs were so obvious along the trenches. But rival front offices know what the Ravens need, too, perhaps making a fair deal hard to put together. The Ravens have always preached “right player, right price,” and for the most part, those logical transactions don’t happen at the deadline. You have to pay to play, and the Ravens are still weighing the future and health of the organization above any immediate win-now moves. That’s both admirable and frustrating for a fan base with such high expectations.
Bennett Conlin, editor
The NFL trade deadline is exciting on paper, but it usually pales in comparison to the drama seen at the NBA and MLB trade deadlines. This year brought a few blockbuster deals, though. They didn’t happen in Baltimore.
While the Ravens didn’t make any splashy moves — tight end Mark Andrews will stay in Baltimore and the Ravens didn’t overspend to add an offensive lineman or defensive tackle — they did add a valuable defensive piece via outside linebacker Dre’Mont Jones. He helps fill the pass rusher role opened when they dealt Odafe Oweh to the Chargers for Gilman. Getting Gilman has been a huge plus so far, and Jones should add value, too.
The Ravens are better defensively than they were a month ago. Are they good enough to win the Super Bowl? I’m skeptical, especially with weaknesses along the interior offensive and defensive lines. They’ll have to hope Jackson can mask those issues come January — assuming the Ravens even make the postseason.
Have a news tip? Contact sports editor C.J. Doon at cdoon@baltsun.com, 410-332-6200 and x.com/CJDoon.