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After another successful regular season, the Baltimore Ravens fell short again in the playoffs. Turnovers, penalties, and poor play-calling doomed the young Ravens team in a 17-10 defeat against an experienced Kansas City Chiefs squad in the AFC Championship game.
The franchise now enters a pivotal offseason as it calculates how to translate regular-season success into postseason triumph. The team lost Odell Beckham Jr., Gus Edwards, J.K. Dobbins, and Patrick Queen, among others, in free agency, while Derrick Henry was Baltimore's only significant off-season addition.
With NFL training camp just a few weeks away, the Ravens face difficult decisions about which players to keep on the roster. With these concerns in mind, here are three potential Ravens trade candidates entering 2024 training camp.
3 Ravens trade candidates entering 2024 training camp
Rashod Bateman (Wide Receiver)
A former first-round pick, Rashod Bateman's production has never backed up his promise. Through three seasons, Bateman has 93 catches for 1,167 yards and four touchdowns. Those are good stats for a single season, not a career. Injuries have been a factor, as Bateman missed 16 games in his first two NFL campaigns. But even in 16 games played, the 24-year-old only managed 367 receiving yards last year.
Baltimore also selected North Carolina wideout Devontez Walker in the fourth round of the NFL Draft. Walker is another speedy receiver who can replace Bateman as the team's primary downfield option. Trading Rashod Bateman is an easy decision for a team needing more production from its pass-catchers.
Brandon Stephens (Cornerback)
Few NFL corners were targeted as often last year as Baltimore's Brandon Stephens. Stephens faced 108 passes as the primary cover man in 2023 — third-most in the NFL and 26 more than any other Ravens player. The third-year player held up surprisingly well under the pressure, allowing a modest passer rating of 80.6 with just two touchdowns allowed and a pair of picks.
Now comes the challenging part for the Ravens: Stephens is entering the final year of his rookie deal. Baltimore added Clemson corner Nate Wiggins in the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft, putting pressure on the team's top three corners this season.
CB1 is Marlon Humphrey, a three-time Pro Bowler nearing the halfway point of a five-year, $97.5 million contract. Nickleback Arthur Maulet is coming off arguably the best year of his career and signed a team-friendly two-year, $4 million deal. That leaves Stephens, who is due for a significant pay raise once his rookie scale deal runs out at the end of the season. With difficult decisions ahead, Brandon Stephens is one Ravens player who could find himself on the move ahead of NFL training camp.
Patrick Mekari (Guard/Tackle)
Sometimes, too much depth can be an issue for a team. In five seasons with Baltimore, Merkari has started 36 of 71 games — including just 11 starts in 33 contests over the last two years. Yet the 26-year-old is making $6.35 million this year, making him the eighth-highest earner on the Ravens squad. This salary is far too much money to pay a swing tackle.
Dealing Merkari's salary presents a challenge, but he is good enough to earn a starting role elsewhere. The versatile lineman had a Pro Football Focus Player Grade of 69.5 in 2023, nearly good enough for Above Average status, to go with a PFF grade of 73.3 the year before. With Ronnie Stanley entrenched at left tackle, dealing Patrick Merkari should net a decent return and give the Ravens more salary cap flexibility.
