Getty Former Ohio State cornerback Shaun Wade celebrates an interception against Rutgers in 2019.
The Baltimore Ravens are trading rookie cornerback Shaun Wade to the New England Patriots in exchange for a 2022 seventh-round draft pick and a 2023 fifth-rounder, per Jeff Zrebiec of The Athletic.
NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport first broke news of the deal after Zrebiec reported that the Ravens were shopping the former Ohio State Buckeye, who was drafted in the fifth round of the 2021 NFL Draft.
I’m hearing the Ravens have been engaged in some trade talks involving rookie fifth-round corner Shaun Wade, who played at Ohio State. Ravens have a logjam at defensive back right now and they don’t have the roster space to keep them all.
Wade was projected as a potential first-round talent after a phenomenal season as Ohio State’s starting slot corner in 2019, but struggled as an outside cornerback in 2020, causing his draft stock to plummet and allowing the Ravens to snag him with the 160th pick.
The pick was seen as a steal across the league, and Wade entered the preseason with a good chance of making the 53-man roster and backing up Tavon Young in the slot.
The Ravens surprised observers by mostly deploying Wade on the outside, but he excelled against the New Orleans Saints on August 14, notching an interception and a pass breakup. Zrebiec noted that Wade only played nine snaps against the Carolina Panthers on August 21, but the Ohio State product finished the two games allowing a 0.0 passer rating in 25 coverage snaps, per Pro Football Focus.
His preseason performer led many to believe that he would earn a spot on the Ravens’ regular season roster, as he finished second among rookie cornerbacks with a 93.7 coverage grade in single coverage from PFF.
Rookie 🏝🔒
Despite Wade’s potential and consistent play in the preseason, he ultimately became a casualty of the Ravens impressive depth at defensive back.
Ravens GM Eric DeCosta, head coach John Harbaugh and DC Wink Martindale met with Shaun Wade on the field after practice to apprise him of the trade talks. Wade has struggled at times this camp, but it was more a matter of what other DBs have done than what he didn’t do.
Given general manager Eric DeCosta’s history of fleecing other teams in trades, the return of two picks, neither of which is higher than Wade’s original draft spot, is surprising. But, considering he was likely to get cut, the Ravens wisely obtained some kind of return rather than let Wade leave for nothing.
Wade Departs Talented Ravens’ Secondary
Despite losing Wade, who projects as a high-caliber starting slot cornerback, the Ravens still have one of the deepest secondaries in the NFL, with as many as 12 defensive backs still in contention for a roster spot.
Wade’s departure does signal the Ravens’ confidence in Tavon Young’s readiness following a torn ACL last September. The former Temple Owl has struggled with injuries throughout his career, suffering season-ending injuries in 2017, 2019 and 2020, so the Ravens will need a backup nickel corner.
In previous years, they’ve moved All-Pro Marlon Humphrey and Jimmy Smith into the slot, but with Smith still recovering from an ankle sprain, undrafted rookie Ar’Darius Washington has a good chance at making the roster.
The undersized safety out of TCU has played well this preseason, holding up in coverage out of the slot and consistently making plays on the ball. He forced a fumble against the Saints with this massive hit in the third quarter.
ANOTHER ONE 🔥
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Rookie Brandon Stephens out of SMU could figure into the picture as well. Though he’s converted to safety since being drafted in the third round, he played cornerback for two years in college after starting at UCLA as a running back.
Ravens Still Looking to Deal Kicker
Zrebiec also reported that the Ravens have heard from potential suitors for undrafted rookie kicker Jake Verity, who has made all of his kicks this preseason, including a 53-yarder against the Saints.
DeCosta squeezed a fifth-round pick out of the Minnesota Vikings for kicker Kaare Vedvik in 2019, so Ravens fans are hoping he can secure another pick by trading Verity to a team in need of a kicker.
Ravens All-Pro kicker Justin Tucker believes that Verity is good enough to start in the NFL, even predicting that the Ravens will receive a draft pick for Verity from another team before the season starts.
With the Wade deal and a potential Verity trade, the Ravens’ front office will continue to amass draft picks, as they will be in need of cheap talent after they extend star quarterback Lamar Jackson.