The offseason in the NFL is when teams like to view the talent that they already have and maximize their roster to the fullest. Sometimes, this means moving on from key contributors, even if it means trading away a productive player that could help the team in the short and long term.
In an article by Brad Spielberger of Pro Football Focus, he named the best offseason move for all 16 AFC teams. When it came to Baltimore, Spielberger believed the best move the team made was trading wide receiver Marquise Brown and pick No. 100 in the 2022 NFL Draft for the No. 23 overall pick. When explaining his reasoning, Spielberger said the team got a great talent in Iowa Center Tyler Linderbaum with the No. 25 overall pick, which the team acquired by packaging No. 23.
“The Ravens subsequently traded down from pick No. 23 to No. 25 in the 2022 NFL Draft, adding the No. 130 pick from the Buffalo Bills. So, all told, Baltimore gave up Brown and pick No. 100 for Picks 25 and 130. The 25th overall pick was then used to select Iowa center Tyler Linderbaum, whose 95.4 overall grade in 2021 was the best mark ever given to a center since PFF started grading college games.”
Brown was coming off of his best season as a pro in Baltimore, notching his first 1,000 yard season. He has potential to get plenty of targets as a receiver in Arizona despite the Cardinals having DeAndre Hopkins as their No. 1 option.
“This isn’t a knock on Brown, who’s coming off a career-best 91 reception, 1,008-yard season, but it resembles the tough decisions good franchises have to make to sustain success. The Ravens avoiding top-of-market paydays on Marquise Brown and tackle Orlando Brown Jr. while adding elite talent on rookie contracts will go a very long way in keeping a talented roster around quarterback Lamar Jackson if (when) he finally agrees to a big-money extension.”
The move was a win for both sides. It was later revealed after the trade that Brown had requested to move on, so Baltimore got a potential Pro Bowl center in Linderbaum while the wideout will reunite with his college quarterback Kyler Murray in Arizona.