Ravens named in 2 hypothetical trades from Bleacher Report

The Baltimore Ravens’ mandatory minicamp concluded this past week, marking the official end of the team’s offseason program. Now, all eyes shift towards the start of training camp later this summer. Between now and then, though, the Ravens’ roster is still subject to change.

Like every other team, the Ravens could wind up being in the market on some potential trades. Bleacher Report’s Ian Wharton hypothesized two trades the Ravens could make before training camp begins; one that has them receiving a player and the other trading one away.

The player Wharton believes the Ravens should trade for is wide receiver Scotty Miller from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. In his scenario, the Ravens trade a 2023 fifth-round pick to the Buccaneers in exchange for Miller.

“The speedy 5’9”, 174-pounder averaged 15.2 yards per catch and totaled 501 yards and three scores in 2020,” Wharton wrote. “He’s stuck behind the deepest receiving corps in the league but would catch on in Baltimore with his ability to get open quickly. Baltimore opted against adding another quality receiver despite moving Marquise Brown during the NFL draft, creating a massive hole that Miller could fill for a much cheaper price.”

It’s no surprise to see a national analyst projecting the Ravens to target a wide receiver in a trade, as its arguably their weakest position group currently. Miller isn’t quite the high-profile name like Deebo Samuel or D.K. Metcalf, who many Ravens’ fans have clamored for as potential trade targets at the position.

However, he’d be much more of a realistic option as a buy-low candidate. As Wharton notes, Miller was productive as a complimentary receiving option in 2020. He made some timely catches in the Buccaneers’ playoff run and earned the trust of Tom Brady.

Last season, though, Miller fell out of favor in Tampa Bay’s offense. He was on injured reserve for seven weeks and played only 135 offensive snaps in the nine games he was active. Miller was targeted just nine total times, catching five passes for 38 yards. This was a far cry from his production the previous season.

His role doesn’t figure to increase much heading into 2022. The Buccaneers return the starting duo of Chris Godwin and Mike Evans, re-signed Breshad Perriman, and added Russell Gage in free agency. Miller is an expendable player for the Buccaneers, so it’s not crazy to think they could trade him.

As Wharton describes, Miller is a speedster who profiles similarly to Marquise Brown physically at 5-foot-9. The Ravens could use more size at the position but ultimately need talent above all, so Miller makes for an interesting potential option.

The other trade the Ravens should make, according to Wharton, is trading safety Chuck Clark to the Dallas Cowboys in exchange for a 2023 fourth-round pick. This isn’t a huge surprise, as Clark was involved in trade rumors as of just a few weeks ago.

“The [Ravens] invested heavily into the safety position this offseason, signing free-agent Marcus Williams to a $70 million deal and drafting Kyle Hamilton in the first round,” Wharton noted. “Ravens defensive coordinator Mike Macdonald even acknowledged there’s not a clear role for Chuck Clark after those moves.”

Despite some trade speculation, Clark recently participated in OTAs and mandatory minicamp with the team — temporarily putting some of the trade talk to bed. However, that doesn’t change the fact that the Ravens invested in two other safeties this offseason, which could potentially make Clark expendable.

“Clark is set to receive a new contract after this season and would surely rather be in a situation where he can build value and cash in,” Wharton said. “Dallas has the perfect opening next to free safety Malik Hooker and versatile defender Jayron Kearse. The Cowboys saw both Keanu Neal and Damontae Kazee depart in free agency, and Clark could help fill the box safety role they split in 2021.”

If Clark ultimately wants to be traded and/or the Ravens decide to part ways, a non-conference opponent like the Cowboys could be an attractive partner. He’s the type of stabilizing force, both on and off the field, that could be a welcome addition in Dallas, too.

Clark has been a full-time starter at the strong safety position in Baltimore since 2019. He’s also been the team’s on-field defensive signal-caller and is highly-respected in the locker room, so subtracting him from the roster would be significant.

If he’s not in the Ravens’ long-term plans, though, and they feel comfortable with Kyle Hamilton stepping into an every-down role in Year 1, they could do worse than receiving a mid-round draft pick for Clark. It’s not clear if they could net a greater return than that in a potential trade.

What do you think about these two trade scenarios? Share your thoughts below and join in on the conversation.