The Ravens sure know how to ruin a perfectly good Friday.
Baltimore dropped to 4-5 with their Thursday night loss to the Jaguars, a pitiful 33-10 effort that had most of the home fans – at least, the ones who showed up in the first place – heading for the exits midway through the third quarter.
The Ravens have plenty of homework in their 10 days before their Week 10 matchup with the Chargers, starting with finalizing their trade for Jacoby Brissett and installing him as their new starting quarterback.
Offensive coordinator Declan Doyle and offensive line coach Dwayne Ledford need to whip the offensive operation into shape to give Brissett’s a gunslinger’s chance of putting up points in the coming weeks.
Tuesday’s trade deadline is also looming for a roster caught in no man’s land between competing and retooling pending Lamar Jackson’s recovery from thumb surgery. A fire sale seems far-fetched, but if a team comes calling after Chidobe Awuzie or even Derrick Henry, should Eric DeCosta pick up the phone?
And then there are the big questions. Where is this team going, long-term? How will they handle Jackson’s contract? Can DeCosta remake the roster to fit Jesse Minter’s vision or will the Ravens Way continue year after year with the same disappointing results?
You may not want to touch those last few in the throes of another hangover from a rough loss, so let’s focus on the short-term. What should be the Ravens’ immediate next steps heading into the weekend and towards the trade deadline?
Nikhil’s take: Step 1 is completing the Brissett trade without giving up more than mid-Day 3 value. Then comes a long, tough conversation about the Ravens’ current roster deficiencies and need for a more aggressive overhaul in the offseason. From there, naturally, trade talk should follow. Anyone on an expiring deal without plans for an extension should be available – including players like Trenton Simpson who could net a compensatory pick in the offseason. The same is true of players who will be released in the offseason, making them ineligible for the comp pick formula. In any even, playing the comp pick game only works if teams do not spend in free agency, and the Ravens might have to if they are truly committed to a new era of football in Baltimore.
