Ravens attempted to trade for four-time Pro Bowl corner; nearly reunited with Calais Campbell

General manager Eric DeCosta tried to get some serious reinforcements for the team’s struggling defense.

Many fans and pundits were disappointed in how the Baltimore Ravens didn’t do more to help their defense at the midseason trade deadline earlier this week outside of giving up essentially nothing to bring in former All Pro cornerback Tre’Davius White but it wasn’t for a lack of trying.

According to a report from Sports Illustrated Albert Breer, general manager Eric DeCosta offered a third-round pick to the New Orleans Saints in exchange for four-time Pro Bowl cornerback Marshon Lattimore and nearly had a deal in place with the Miami Dolphins to bring back six-time Pro Bowl defensive end Calais Campbell but it fell through late.

“The Ravens actually offered a third-round pick Lattimore,” Breer said “Obviously they get outbid by the Commanders. And then their was another deal that they fell short on. They almost brought Calais Campbell back [but] that deal fell through at the last minute.”

The Saints decided to allow Lattimore to stay in the NFC conference by trading him and a 2025 fifth-rounder to the Washington Commanders instead in exchange for a third, fourth and sixth-round pick in 2025. For a team like the Ravens who greatly value draft capital because it is the most inexpensive way to build a strong team around an elite veteran quarterback with a near-top-of-the-market average annual salary, matching Washington’s haul was ultimately and understandably too steep.

While the asking price for a 28-year-old cornerback with deals left on his deal and more years of potentially elite play ahead of him was too high, the same likely wasn’t the case with acquiring a 38-year-old defensive lineman playing on a one-year deal. The Ravens are still in need of interior defensive line depth with Michael Pierce on injured reserve and Brent Urban dealing with a concussion but the door on Campbell potentially returning might still be a possibility.

Towards the end of the regular season each year when struggling teams are finally eliminated from playoff contention, they sometimes grant aging veterans on cheap deals their release so that they can try to sign with or get claimed by a contender. With the Dolphins currently sitting at 2-6 and well out of the playoff picture for even a wildcard spot, there’s a chance Campbell, who played for the Ravens for three seasons from 2020-2022, could find his way back to the Charm City to make one last run at a Super Bowl either by the veteran waiver wire or as an unrestricted free agent if he clears.

While White may seem like a lackluster consolation prize to many, he will still provide quality depth and might end up playing meaningful snaps if fourth-year pro Brandon Stephens continues to struggle in coverage as consistently as he has this season.

Breer also reported that White agreed to waive the remainder of the playing time incentives on his contract to facilitate the trade that brought him to Baltimore. Both he and Lattimore came into the league as first-round picks in the 2017 NFL Draft, established themselves as elite players early on in their respective careers, and have struggled to stay healthy in recent years.