Baltimore Ravens: Clearing Cap Space for a Trade?

The Baltimore Ravens have cleared cap space, but have not been active in free agency. Could they be looking for trade partners?

The Ravens went from having the least amount of cap space of any team in the NFL to having $15 million in cap space after restructuring the deals of several players.

The cap savings make Baltimore players in the free agent market. Problem is they are running out of viable free agent options that could come in and make a difference. Most of the top players that were available are already with new teams and the remaining options are not that promising.

The player that makes most sense to me is Eric Weddle, and I will continue to clamor for the Ravens to sign him until it’s done or he is elsewhere. He makes the most sense for the Ravens at this time. They have the cap space to add him and maybe another offensive lineman before entering the draft to fix the rest of their problems.

What has been surprising is how little action the Ravens have gotten into during the free agent period. There are currently no scheduled visits and at this point, Ben Watson is the only player that has been added at this time. Earlier this month, there were reports that Trent Richardson would be signed, but that hasn’t been inked yet either.

It makes you wonder if something bigger is in the works. The $15 million in cap space gives the Ravens the flexibility to sign a high-profile player. They were willing to give Kelechi Osemele a hefty contract so why wouldn’t they trade for a player with a similar deal?

Ozzie Newsome will be working the phones over the next two months as team’s will be inquiring about the possibility of acquiring the sixth pick in this year’s draft. Some quarterback desperate teams could be looking at the Ravens as a potential landing spot to draft the quarterback of their choice. We also know what it’s going to cost to make such a move.

The Philadelphia Eagles and Miami Dolphins recently completed a deal that moved the Fins back in the draft, but took on two players that many felt were solid players just a year ago and only back five spots in the draft. And while it was a salary dump for the Eagles, it gave them the cap space to make moves they needed. Both teams got what they needed in the deal.

The Ravens have a handful of needs to address and could choose to trade for a player and move a few spots back if the return on investment benefits them. An outright trade of some sorts can be worked out too. Ozzie certainly isn’t afraid to make a deal.

He has been active on the trade front in the past year, trading away Haloti Ngata, and acquiring Chris Givens and Will Davis midseason from draft picks midseason. He also traded up in last year’s draft to acquire Maxx Williams.

Football is not like baseball or basketball in which you see teams looking to move players in the last year of their contract. Teams do seem to hang onto their players rather and letting them walk freely and not making a trade, which makes little sense to me. There are several players that are entering the final year of their deal that the Ravens could be interested in. It’s up to management whether a deal makes sense for them.

The front office has not been clearing all this cap space for nothing. They are up to something. It’s unlikely to be a megadeal like the Eagles-Dolphins trade, but it would not be a real shocker if a deal is made that benefits the Ravens.

Next: Ravens Clearing Cap Space

Just do something Ozzie. The anticipation combined with the lack of action is leaving Ravens Nation panicking.