The Baltimore Ravens have reached a crossroads way before the mid-season point, losing two straight in truly ridiculous fashion -- shutting out their opponents in the first half and then getting shutout and overtaken in the second.
Thus, the Ravens currently sit with a 4-3 record in last place in the AFC North -- a division they were heavy favorites to win -- and with a road game in Buffalo on the horizon, things could start to unravel quickly for Baltimore.
With the NFL trade deadline less than two weeks away, the Ravens must consider unloading a few players in order to either acquire some immediate help in return, or start loading up on draft capital for next year. Either way, several names on Baltimore's roster just don't make any sense for the team anymore, regardless of what eventually becomes of the 2026 campaign.
Here are three players that the Ravens should consider trading away before the deadline:
As hard as it is to say goodbye to the top pass-catcher in franchise history, it's time.
Andrews hasn't just become a non-factor in the Ravens' offense , but also a liability with dropped passes. Sure, there is no clear successor at the tight end position, and Baltimore wasted a huge opportunity by letting Isaiah Likely walk in free agency, but Andrews is just not cutting it anymore (averaging $13M/season makes it tough).
Rookie Matthrew Hibner was, at one point, playing on more than half of the Ravens snaps, and fellow-rookie Josh Cuevas has seen his usage go up steadily as the season has progressed. Veteran Nick Vannett took some snaps away from Hibner once he was promoted from the practice squad in early October, but that was expected. Blocking specialist Durham Smythe, on the other hand, will miss the rest of the season due to an Achilles' injury.
The depth chart might not be in a great place, but Andrews is not making very much of a difference anyway. He hasn't reached 50 receiving yards in any game (he's done it once since the start of last season), and has a single receiving touchdown for the season. He's also recording personal lows of 7.8 yards per catch and 5.5 yards per route run.
Baltimore really needs to spread out Andrews' targets among the remaining three tight ends and rookie wideout Ja'Kobi Lane, and see who will step up as the passing game's safety net of the future.
At an average of just 20 rushing yards per game and 12 receiving yards per game -- as a pass-catching alternative to Derrick Henry in the backfield -- Hill is just not working out. At his current pace, he would finish the season with under 350 rushing yards and just over 200 receiving yards, and he hasn't scored once either way. He hasn't logged a broken tackle for the year, either.
The Ravens haven't been great at maximizing Hill, either. He's averaging 3.0 yards before contact per rush -- compared to Henry's 1.9 -- and 6.7 yards per rushing attempt, but Baltimore isn't giving him enough carries to make a difference or at least find a rhythm.
The market for soon-to-be 29-year-old running backs with limited production and no previous experience as the top guy will be miniscule, but Hill does contribute on special teams and is considered a reliable blocker. It's just that he's not taking enough of the load off Henry's shoulders .
Adam Randall is still on IR with no word on when he might be coming back, and the Ravens have Jonathan Ward on the practice squad, so looking for a street agent option could work. The pool of available guys with experience as primary runners is attractive for a team looking at a one-year rental, including Raheem Moster, Alexander Mattison, Kareem Hunt, Antonio Gibson, Miles Sanders and Joe Mixon, and each one of them should have an accessible price tag.
Walker's case is truly strange. A 25-year-old fourth rounder from 2024 who has the same number of touchdown catches than starts in his pro career (five), but just 11 receptions over 20 games played.
His 0.75 yards per route run this year seem almost impossible to believe, yet here we are.
It seems Baltimore's passers just don't trust Walker, because his usage on the field isn't dramatically low. He's played in almost 40 percent of the Ravens' offensive snaps this year, yet has managed just nine targets and four catches. All this despite top wideout Zay Flowers missing one game and top rookie Ja'Kobi Lane missing four this year , so there have been some chances.
If the Ravens aren't going to try and develop Walker, they should trade him to a team that will. Rookie fourth-rounder Elijah Sarratt has played in just one game and sorely needs some of the reps that Walker has been handed with no returns. The compensation for Walker will be very low, but his production after two and a half years has been even lower.
This article was originally published on www.si.com/nfl/ravens/onsi as Three Players the Ravens Need To Move On From Before the NFL Trade Deadline .
