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The Baltimore Ravens struck to add more ammunition to the mix for general manager Eric DeCosta on Friday, swinging a deal centered around offensive tackle Orlando Brown Jr.
Baltimore dealt Brown Jr. as well as the 58th pick and a sixth-round selection in 2022 to the Kansas City Chiefs in exchange for the 31st, 94th and 136th pick in the 2021 draft and a 2022 fifth-round selection.
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If that seems like a quality development for the Ravens, it is. Brown Jr. wasn’t in the plans for the 2021 season, and the Ravens scored in a big way by trading him. Now, the team has nine total picks at their disposal for the 2021 draft coming up next weekend.
The Ravens have plenty of big needs to fix, not the least of which is at edge rusher and wideout in the draft. The good news is those spots could be deep for the team, and they have a couple of first-round picks to play with now in terms of a move up or down for a player, or someone falling in their lap.
This blockbuster deal should set the Ravens up very well for the future, even with losing Brown to a key AFC rival.
Ravens Expected to Sign Alejandro Villanueva Next
As for what’s next for the team’s offensive front, the Ravens will reportedly be signing Alejandro Villanueva soon. The former Steelers offensive lineman visited the team this week, and while a deal won’t be reached or revealed until after the draft, according to ESPN’s Jamison Hensley, one could be coming in a few weeks.
At 32, Villanueva is young enough that he could be a player who comes in and plays a solid role for the Ravens. The former Army Football stud who was a Bronze Star winner in the military, Villanueva is not only a decorated veteran but a player who has been solid in the NFL as well given his status as a two-time Pro Bowl player in 2017 and 2018. Villanueva has also played in 96 total league games with 90 starts under his belt, so he does bring some experience to the mix for the Ravens that could help account for Brown Jr.’s loss.
Brown Jr’s. Stats
Brown has been a solid player since being picked up in the third-round of the 2018 NFL Draft out of Oklahoma. He’s played in 48 games and started 42, and has easily proved his worth in the league as a two-time Pro Bowler up front in 2019 and 2020. Brown has followed capably in the footsteps of his father Orlando Brown Sr. who was a fixture up front for the Ravens as well. With this in mind, a trade would be tough to make, but if Brown is unhappy and wants to be moved, that could be the next likely step for the team, especially considering the reported interest in the player.
Brown is a special and solid player, and as tough as it is to see him go, the team also should be thrilled to be able to add this draft firepower to help in filling their needs.
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