3 more Ravens trades to make after adding Diontae Johnson to Lamar Jackson’s offense

The Baltimore Ravens responded to them embarrassing week 8 loss against the lowly Cleveland Browns by completing a trade, Taking over Diontae Johnson in a deal with the Carolina Panthers.

Johnson gives Lamar Jackson and this high-powered Ravens offense another weapon for defenses to worry about. If there was a hole in this offense, it was that the wide receiver room lacked much depth. The addition of Johnson changes that.

While the Johnson trade was great for Baltimore, it’s pretty safe to say that offense wasn’t the team’s biggest need. More work needs to be done by GM Eric DeCosta to give this Ravens team the best chance to win the Super Bowl. Making any of these three deals would make the Ravens significantly better.

The biggest problem with this Ravens team right now is their ability to defend the pass, or lack thereof. Through eight weeks of the season, the Ravens have allowed a whopping 291.4 passing yards per game. That’s over 20 more yards per play than the next worst team, the 2-6 Jacksonville Jaguars. A big reason why they have allowed the seventh-most points per game (26.1) is because of their terrible pass defense.

Last week we saw Jameis Winston, in his first start of the seasonthrow for 334 yards and three touchdowns against Baltimore for a now 2-6 Browns team that had recently traded its top receiver, Amari Cooper. That should tell you everything you need to know.

With that in mind, exploring a trade for Saints safety Tyrann Mathieu makes a lot of sense for Baltimore. Mathieu may not be the star he once was in the secondary, but he was one of the few bright spots for the 2-6 New Orleans Saints, throwing in a pair of interceptions, forcing a fumble and recording 33 tackles.

Mathieu’s durability (more than 15 games played in eight consecutive seasons) cannot be overlooked, and the fact that he has won a Super Bowl before makes him even more intriguing. The Ravens may have to spend some money to suit him up, but Mathieu makes sense as a Ravens target.

Strengthening the secondary would be the most obvious way to help a struggling defense against the pass, but improving the defensive line would also help. By doing this, Baltimore could put more pressure on the opposing quarterback and leave this secondary less exposed. Za’Darius Smith would provide a lot of help on that front.

Smith, a former fourth-round pick of the Ravens who played his first four seasons with Baltimore, remains an impressive defensive lineman in his 10th NFL season. The 32-year-old has recorded five sacks and 22 tackles – five of which were for a loss – along with six QB hits in eight games. He would rank second on this Ravens team behind Kyle Van Noy in both sacks and tackles for loss.

It remains to be seen if the Browns would be willing to trade Smith to an AFC North rival, especially considering the 32-year-old is under contract for another year, but if so, he would be. a great addition to a defense that desperately needs it.

One of the big surprises of last season was the excellent play of Jadeveon Clowney. In 17 games, the 31-year-old tied a career-high with 9.5 recorded sacks, while also racking up 43 tackles, nine tackles for loss, 19 QB hits and a pair of forced fumbles. Clowney was a legitimate force on their defensive line.

He’s had a down year since signing a two-year deal to join the Carolina Panthers, but it’s fair to attribute at least some of that to the fact that he’s on a 1-7 team that isn’t going anywhere. Moving from that to a Ravens team that is one of the best in the AFC, especially when he thrived in his lone season in Baltimore, could be a big boost for Clowney.

Given his problems in Carolina, acquiring Clowney wouldn’t cost much at all. He’s on a rebuilding Panthers team that the Ravens just completed the Johnson deal with. His struggles this season may make him less intriguing, but the Ravens shouldn’t forget the year he had for them in 2023. Clowney would give them a much-needed boost in an area where they could really use it.