NFL trade deadline pass rush options for the Ravens

What are the options to add some beef on the front 7

The Baltimore Ravens’ defense hasn’t been great this year. There have been great individual play and inconsistencies among the groups. The pass rush was excellent in Week 1, hitting Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes eight times while barely blitzing. The secondary did their job against the Buffalo Bills’ receivers, outside of one broken play. Kyle Van Noy went three straight games with two sacks. Marlon Humphrey leads all corners in the NFL in interceptions (4) and carried the defense against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers until his injury.

But overall, the defense hasn’t done enough. In seven weeks, they’ve given up 30-plus twice and 25-plus five times. In the two games left, they gave up 23 to Washington and 10 to the Bills. While the secondary seems to be one of the weak points of the group, the group is filled with loaded talent, big names and resources. So, the Ravens may not want to add more to room.

Another way they could help the defense is by beefing up the pass rush. Guys like Odafe Oweh and Travis Jones have taken steps this year. Kyle Van Noy and Nnamdi Madubuike are in the backfield quite often. But they lack consistency.

More specifically, the Ravens have gone from being No. 7 in opponent third-down conversion rate (36.4%) last season to No. 27 this year (45.56%). Getting off the field is an absolute key for a defense. The Ravens played over 80 snaps on Monday as the Buccaneers went 11-17 on third down and scored 31 points. The Bengals scored 38 and went 8-14 on third down. Even the Cowboys, who almost came back on the Ravens, went 7-13. They can’t help themselves and get off the field on third down. One way to fix that; get to the quarterback.

The Ravens recently activated cornerback Arthur Maulet to the active roster, who could help by executing the slot blitzes he was so successful at last year. New starter Trenton Simpson will get better and could be an excellent blitzer with his athletic ability. The Ravens recently added edge rusher Yannick Ngakoue, and he’s been helpful, but they could counter their secondary issues by making the job harder on quarterbacks.

So, where could the Ravens look to improve their pass rush? A lot of names are being tossed out. Some of them are realistic, some of them might not even get traded and some are just a downright pipe dream. We are going to go through them and rank them from least to most likely.

---

Don’t have a snowball’s chance in hell: Myles Garrett

Let’s just say it: one, the Cleveland Browns have less than a 0.0001% chance of trading Myles Garrett, and two, even if they did, they wouldn’t trade him to a division rival, even if the Ravens offered up an unborn child with multiple first-round picks.

But the Browns have already traded Amari Cooper six weeks into the season and other names are getting thrown out in rumors, including Garrett with reports that teams are calling for him. So, we’ll talk about him. Garrett is under contract until after the 2026 season with cap hits of $20 million this year and $19- and $20-million the two years after.

But if Garrett became a Raven, it’s a franchise-altering move, even more than when the Ravens traded for Roquan Smith in 2022. Garrett is one of the most athletic and freakish pass rushers in the NFL. He is a one-of-one, generational athlete at the position who’s had double-digit number sacks for six straight seasons. He’s unblockable in one-on-one situations and is commonly successful, even when double-teamed. He’s very commonly attacked with three blockers. That’s the type of guy who allows other rushers like Madubuike and Oweh to get one-on-ones consistently while still racking up numbers. He’s currently at 27 total pressures with four sacks and hits and a massive 93 rush grade from PFF.

It won’t happen in a million years, but if it did, it would change everything. About as close to getting a franchise quarterback move on defense as you can get. But it won’t. So moving on.

Only slightly better, snowball in hell, but it’s frozen nitrogen instead: Micah Parsons

Micah Parsons has been mentioned even less in trade talks. But there’s a lot of talk about whether or not the Cowboys will pony up the money to meet Parsons’ contract demands of being the highest-paid non-quarterback in the league. There have also been many articles, whether true or false, about the Cowboys organization and Parsons not always getting along. Combine that with the way the current Cowboys team looks and there are whispers of Dallas potentially trying to get a return on Parson’s instead of letting him walk.

Once again, it’s unlikely the Cowboys trade him in the first place and unlikely the Ravens would pay whatever the price would be, especially cause the Ravens likely wouldn’t have the cap space to sign Parsons long-term after. But Parsons is a prolific edge rusher who can also be a chess piece and help the Ravens’ struggles to protect the middle of the field. While he only has one sack this year, he has 21 pressures and an 82.8 pass-rush grade

It’s very unlikely, but because it’s not a division opponent, he’s slightly higher than Garrett.

The interior DL guys in a ‘will they, won’t they’ sit-com of trades: Jeremy Simmons III, Dexter Lawrence

Both of these interior pass rushers are basically in the same situation. Both are on bad teams, Simmons on the 1-5 Titans that seemingly don’t have a quarterback and Lawrence on the 2-5 Giants that seemingly don’t have a quarterback. Both are in the beginning of new massive deals. Both are being rumored as potential moves, but there’s not a ton of smoke behind them.

These guys are shop-wreckers. Absolute bulldozers in the middle of an offensive line and paring them with Nnamdi Madubuike would be purely unfair, ensuring at least one of them would always get a one-on-one opportunity. Both Simmons and Lawrence have big cap hits this year with $21 and $14 million respectively, then three years of $20-plus million cap hits.

With the Ravens just signing Madubuike to similar contracts to these guys and the breakout of Travis Jones, it’s unlikely the Ravens add along their interior defensive line to boost their pass rush. If the Ravens do take on a contract, it’ll likely be for an edge player.

Could be moved, but probably not, and if so, not the Ravens: Maxx Crosby

Maxx Crosby has wrecked the Ravens on multiple occasions so, similar to getting Derrick Henry, watching him do it in purple and black would be ultra-satisfying. While Crosby has been consistent in his loyalty to Las Vegas and is commendable in doing so, there’s a lot of smoke here. Vegas has already traded their only other superstar in Davante Adams to New York, they are in a very clear rebuilding era, and Crosby’s recent comments of “I’m not here to rebuild, I’m here to win” don’t line up.

Crosby is a clear consistent winner who gets to the quarterback, no other way to describe it. He’s tenacious in his rush, has had two straight years of double-digit sacks, and his on pace for 17 sacks this year. His contract is massive, with a $30 million cap hit this year and more massive numbers after. The Ravens could cut him after this year for only $10 million in dead cap if they really wanted to.

Overall, it’s not likely as the Ravens don’t typically buy high for what would be either a rental or a massive contract. Add on the fact that Crosby likely isn’t getting moved but if he does, it’s probably to Detroit who might pay whatever to replace the injured Aiden Hutchinson. But if the Ravens want a real star off the edge, this is their best bet.

The underdogs. It’s not a no, but it’s not exactly a yes: Chase Young, Za’Darius Smith

These guys are on this tier for different reasons. The Ravens have actually called about Smith according to reports so that should boost him in categories. But the history of in-division trades isn’t strong, especially midseason and for name-brand guys. Smith was rumored to come back to Baltimore a couple of years ago and it was even reported that they had agreed to a contract. Then he backed out and has been with the Browns since. Smith would be a welcomed addition to this club, with his ability to line up anywhere on the line. He’s only got 15 pressures with a 66.1 pass-rush grade, but he’s converting at a high rate with four sacks this season.

Chase Young was once viewed as a generational player and at one point, seemed like he might hit it. He was commonly getting in the backfield and getting blocked by multiple guys. But he’s never hit double-digit sacks in his career. There are also viable effort concerns the last couple of years, with multiple clips of him giving up on plays he’s near. His cap hit is low, only $3 million, and he’s very likely to get traded, only on a one-year deal for a Saints team that’s seemingly not going anywhere and gearing up for a fire sale. He can still get after the passer for sure, in the top 10 of pressures this season with 27, the same as Garrett despite only a 58.6 pass-rush grade. His two sacks aren’t impressive but he’s got 7 quarterback hits to go with it.

These two guys make sense on the surface. Both are cheap, and Smith even has a medium $9 million cap hit in 2025 that the Ravens can hold on to. But Smith is with a division rival that would probably need an overpay to grab and has a $14 million dead cap hit in 2025 if the Ravens do cut him. Young would be a cheap nab, but I simply can’t see the Ravens buying in on the film they’ve seen. So it wouldn’t shock me if the Ravens did grab them, but there are plenty of guys ahead that might go first.

The Ravens might actually nab these guys, but not the favorites: Azeez Ojulari, Carl Granderson

Now we start getting into the real meat and potatoes. If you read any trade article, at least one of these guys is likely to be on there. The Giants have a massive edge-rush duo in Brian Burns and Kaybon Thibodeaux, so with Ojulari on his last year and not likely to be resigned, the failing Giants should absolutely be looking to get some early value before he walks. Ojulari is on his rookie deal so he has a small cap hit of only $2 million, easily manageable for the Ravens. He’s also on pace for his best sack season yet with 15 pressures and five sacks.

On the other end, Granderson is an undrafted rookie who cashed in last year after his best season. While Granderson doesn’t have gaudy sack numbers for his career, he’s consistently in the backfield and has been near the top all season long so far in pressure numbers with a PFF pass-rush grade at 73.5, close to where Micah Parsons is. His contract would be an interesting situation too. His cap his this year is only $5 million, but he’s got three years after with cap hits of $11, $16, and $16 million. The Ravens would have an out after 2025.

These are very Ravens-esque moves. Smaller names, not gaudy stat numbers, but consistent performers that if brought in, it is because the Ravens believe they can get the most out of them. Their contracts are easily managed, they wouldn’t cost a ton of draft capital. These are simple moves but good ones.

The betting favorite: Jadeveon Clowney

You know that Spongebob meme? The one with the jelly fishing rod? That’s Clowney, “Ol’ reliable.” Clowney was a monster in Baltimore last year, having his career-best season with career-highs in sacks, pressures, and more. The Ravens moved on from Clowney this offseason, opting for Kyle Van Noy at a $3.5 million cap hit rather than Clowney at $6 million. So far it’s worked out with Van Noy having seven sacks and Clowney only at one.

But it’s important to remember that Clowney is on an awful Panthers defense and has been dealing with some injuries this year but looks to be in full health again, practicing fully this week. Despite missing time and grading poorly, a 53.4 pass-rush grade, he still has 14 pressures. The real question is would Clowney reach that extremely high season again that he did last year? Now there is no Mike Macdonald or Anthony Weaver and lots of the blitzes seem to be gone. While there’s no telling, what is important to remember is Clowney worked with new defensive coordinator Zach Orr and pass-rush coach Chuck Smith last year as well. Kyle Van Noy has also played up to where he was last year despite the departures.

While the ceiling might be in question, this move is a relative no-brainer. There are bigger moves the Ravens could make for stars. But with Clowney, you know the player, the trade price will be cheap, the money is cheap, the floor is solid here, and you know you’ll get buy-in from the player and the locker room.

Verdict

The Ravens need to add something on defense, whether its a defensive back or a pass rusher. With the secondary already loaded with talented names, the Ravens probably will look to add to the pass rush over adding more resources back there. If that’s the case, the best options are the former Ravens, Jadeveon Clowney or Za’Darius Smith. Both would be welcomed additions that would immediately add juice with high floors and potentially high ceilings in Baltimore. They also would be cost-effective moves, provided the in-division tax for Smith isn’t egregious.

The most interesting part is what the Ravens would do with the roster is a pass rusher is added. They already have six with Odafe Oweh, Kyle Van Noy, David Ojabo, Tavius Robinson, rookie Adisa Isaac, and Yannick Ngakoue who was just signed to the roster a week ago. Robinson has impressed and made the most of his snaps while Ojabo seems to have his snap count reduced with Ngakoue being added. Isaac has been a healthy scratch at times as well. A phantom injured reserve move could be the answer.