Getty New York Giants wide receiver Darius Slayton stiff-arms a defender during a November 2021 game.
The Baltimore Ravens are likely looking to upgrade their wide receiving corps after sending Marquise “Hollywood” Brown to the Arizona Cardinals. Brown’s departure left a gaping hole in Baltimore’s wide receiver room, as no currently rostered wideouts have recorded more than 600 yards in a single season.
Now, one New York Giants beat writer has suggested that the Ravens look to New York to address not only their receiver shortage, but also a deficiency in their secondary.
In a May 2 tweet, Art Stapleton of The Record newspaper in Bergen, New Jersey, suggested that the Giants package wide receiver Darius Slayton and corner James Bradberry in exchange for Ravens safety Chuck Clark and “some mid-round picks.”
I’ve been kicking around possible #Giants trade: Bradberry, Slayton to Ravens for S Chuck Clark and a swap of 2023 mid-round picks. Might have to eat some of Bradberry $. Gives Ravens insurance for Marcus Peters ACL. Slayton helps with loss of Hollywood.
Cap $ needs massaging.
Bradberry, who will be 29 when the 2022 season starts, is a proven cornerback, with 91 starts over his first six seasons and a trip to the Pro Bowl in 2020. Meanwhile, Slayton is only 25 years old and had over 700 yards receiving in each of his first two seasons before getting stuck behind Kenny Golladay and Kadarious Toney on the Giants’ depth chart in 2021.
Slayton would join 2021 first-round pick Rashod Bateman, who is expected to make a sophomore leap after an injury-stunted rookie season. And Bradberry would add to the presence of All-Pros Marlon Humphrey and Marcus Peters, both of whom are recovering from significant injuries. Brandon Stephens, a 2021 third-rounder, spent most of his rookie year playing safety while Anthony Averett, Tavon Young and Chris Westry all left in free agency.
Ravens Would Grab Multiple Starters
The Giants have been looking to move on from cornerback James Bradberry, per reports from Fansided’s Matt Verderame and The Athletic’s Dan Duggan. And Slayton appears to be expendable with Golladay and Sterling Shepard on the roster.
There were rumblings in early April that the Giants were shopping Toney, a 2021 first-rounder. And when the Giants drafted wide receiver Wan’Dale Robinson out of Kentucky in the second round, the rumors only intensified. But general manager Giants general manager Joe Schoen said the team is “not shopping” him, according to a Duggan tweet from April 29.
To the obvious question about Kadarius Toney’s future after taking a slot receiver in the second round, Joe Schoen said there’s no impact. When asked if he’s shut the door on trying to trade Toney, Schoen let out an exasperated laugh and said, “We’re not shopping Kadarius Toney.”
Per Over the Cap, the respective salary cap costs of Clark and Slayton could roughly offset, depending on the timing of the deal, leaving Bradberry’s $21.8 million 2022 cap hit as the remaining obstacle to a deal. Part of the reason the Giants want to trade Bradberry is to free up cap space, so they’re unlikely to take on most of his deal, while the Ravens currently can’t afford to take on his contract.
Ravens’ Logjam at Safety
After drafting Notre Dame standout Kyle Hamilton in the first round of last week’s draft, the Ravens suddenly have a logjam at safety with Clark and recent addition Marcus Williams already on the roster.
It’s unlikely that the Ravens would deal Williams, their marquee free agent signing of this offseason, but Jeff Zrebiec of the Athletic said he thought Baltimore “would absolutely deal [Clark] if they got a suitable offer.”
Sending the veteran safety to New York would reunite him with Giants defensive coordinator Don “Wink” Martindale, who was fired by the Ravens in January. Clark wore the green dot as Baltimore’s defensive playcaller under Martindale for the past three seasons, emerging as a key leader of the Ravens defense with his excellent instincts and football I.Q. that have made him one of the league’s most underrated safeties. With Martindale installing his defense in New York, he may want to have a trusted veteran to lead his defense on the field as he implements his blitz-heavy scheme.