The Baltimore Ravens are off to a good start this season with a 4-2 record. However, they don’t quite look like Super Bowl contenders, and perhaps a trade or two by the Oct. 31 deadline would take them up a notch in the ranks of the AFC.
They could use another bona fide threat at wide receiver to go alongside rookie stud Zay Flowers, not to mention star tight end Mark Andrews. While their defense has been strong, they rank only 10th in rushing yards allowed and 16th in yards per rush attempt given up.
Could they use some help up front? Bleacher Report thinks so, and it suggested that Baltimore acquire defensive lineman Bilal Nichols from the Las Vegas Raiders.
“The Ravens defense has played well this season, but the defensive interior still remains a question mark,” wrote Bleacher Report. “Justin Madubuike has 2.5 sacks, which is great, but this is a team that is relying on 32-year-old Brent Urban to play meaningful snaps.
“Bilal Nichols is a talented player, but he hasn’t been productive since going to the Las Vegas Raiders in 2022. The Raiders should be sellers at the deadline, and the Ravens’ interior would benefit from the 27-year-old.”
The Raiders are suffering through another miserable season, and although they have a 3-3 record and a two-game winning streak, those last two wins came against the Green Bay Packers and New England Patriots — not exactly quality competition. They have been rumored to at least be open to shopping a couple of their players, and it could set up an opportunity for a team such as the Ravens to augment their roster.
Nichols spent his first four seasons with the Chicago Bears, and his best season was in 2020 when he registered 5.0 sacks, 13 quarterback hits and seven tackles for loss. That also happened to be the last time the Bears made the playoffs, and perhaps the last time they will do so for a while.
The Ravens have historically been a team that has won with defense and a run-heavy offense (their 2000 Super Bowl-winning team comes to mind most prominently). Perhaps it would be prudent for head coach John Harbaugh to double down on defense while also bringing in another playmaker to aid quarterback Lamar Jackson.
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