During an interview, new Ravens' cornerback Shareece Wright talked a bit about what it meant to come to Baltimore and his connection to Ravens' cornerback Jimmy Smith. In an instance that makes you immediately realize that the world is indeed a small place, things are lining up for Wright and the Ravens. Originally a San Francisco 49er to start the season, his release and waiver claim by Baltimore comes right before the Ravens face off against the Niners. Wright also gets to join a Baltimore team with his high school friend Jimmy Smith, which is something that few players can claim.
What was most interesting during Wright's interview was what he said about his release from San Francisco.
When I was asking for my release out of San Francisco for the past couple weeks, we were trying to get a trade done with [general manager and executive vice president] Ozzie [Newsome], and we weren’t able to get that done.
It shouldn't be shocking that the Ravens were targeting Wright for a trade as the secondary has been in shambles all season long. Instead, the Ravens were able to work a deal out with the Miami Dolphins to bring cornerback Will Davis out to Baltimore in exchange for a seventh-round pick in the 2016 NFL Draft. With Davis' ACL tear last week against the Cleveland Browns, the Ravens were lucky to be able to find Wright looking for a job after being released by the Niners.
Since Wright was the odd man out for the 49ers, they were doing what a lot of teams do, which is look to recoup some of what they paid for him. Being on a one-year deal, his future with the Niners was severely limited and on a team looking to rebuild, adding a late round draft pick is helpful. Based on the idea that the trade talks fell apart, it sounds like the 49ers were looking for more than what the Ravens were wanting to spend, moving them onto the Dolphins and Will Davis.
However, in much the Ozzie Newsome style, Wright was begging for his release and it was ultimately granted. That allowed Newsome and the Ravens organization to grab a player it seems that they wanted more than Davis in the first place, all without having to spend as much for his salary as they would have if they traded for him and without having to spend a pick on him. Sounds like a win-win for Wright and for the Ravens, something that will hopefully end in some Ravens' wins.