The Baltimore Ravens lost both starting guards in free agency, and one article indicates they could lose another. 2021 third-round pick Ben Cleveland is entering the final year of his contract and could be on the trade block. Cleveland never quite lived up to his draft status with the Ravens, as the Georgia product started just seven games to this point in his career. Even with John Simpson and Kevin Zeitler in New York and Detroit, respectively, Baltimore will likely enter the season with Andrew Vorhees and Daniel Faalele at the starting guard positions.
The Ravens have one of the best rosters in the league, so Cleveland could land a starting job on a less competitive roster. According to Ryan Fowler of Bleacher Report, the Ravens should consider a Ben Cleveland trade to get something for his services instead of watching him walk for nothing next year. Looking around the league, the New England Patriots and New Orleans Saints are most likely to give Baltimore a call.
Patriots, Saints Could Trade For Ravens’ Ben Cleveland
First-round pick Drake Maye looks like he’s ready to win the Week 1 starting job, but the North Carolina product will have a difficult time overcoming his horrendous offensive line. With Cole Strange sidelined, New England appears to be shifting offensive lineman Mike Onwenu to guard. Onwenu is a great guard, but this team should probably use him at the more important tackle position. Chukwuma Okafor is nothing special, while Veridian Lowe was one of the least effective tackles in football last year. These two could kill Maye, but a Ben Cleveland trade could help.
Adding Ben Cleveland to the mix via trade would allow Onwenu to move to right tackle. With the $57 million man providing some much-needed protection against elite pass rushers, Maye should have time to set his feet, read the field, and connect with his receivers. Cleveland might not be a superstar, but an interior trio of him, David Andrews, and Sidy Sow should be good enough for the time being. If fourth-round pick Layden Robinson continues to play well, then perhaps he can steal the right guard job. In the meantime, Cleveland will provide some security for a quarterback who will likely need all the help he can get.
Keep Carr Upright
The season hasn’t started yet, and the New Orleans Saints offensive line is already a glaring flaw on the team. While center Erik McCoy is a good player, the other four spots are complete question marks. Trevor Penning is a known disaster, first-round pick Taliese Fuaga injured his back, and the guard duo of Lucas Patrick and Cesar Ruiz leaves a lot to be desired. While Fuaga is reportedly on pace to play in Week 1, he won’t singlehandedly save this offensive line. Derek Carr is one of the worst quarterbacks in the league against pressure, so a Ben Cleveland trade might be required to keep this offense functioning.
New Orleans spent the better part of the decade mortgaging the future and going all-in on their current teams. While this was a defendable strategy during the end of the Drew Brees Era, it’s a questionable tactic with Carr under center. The Saints will probably fire Dennis Allen if he can’t get this team to the playoffs, which means he shouldn’t care about draft compensation in a Ben Cleveland trade.
Main Photo: Jessica Fapfogel – USA Today Sports
