3 Potential trades the Ravens could make

The 2017 NFL season is about to begin, and with it, many teams have more questions surrounding their roster than they did when training camp begins. One of those teams is the Baltimore Ravens, who have seen their fair share of turnover take place due to everything from injuries to retirements. As a result they could certainly look around the league to fill some of the team holes that have opened in that regard. Three options to do so via trade:

RAVENS TRADE: DE Patrick Ricard, 2018 sixth round pick

PATRIOTS TRADE: WR Danny Amendola

This one makes sense on a few levels for both sides. The Pats recently lost some defensive line depth as rookie Derek Rivers went down for the year, and the Ravens are perpetually in the wide receiver market.

What complicates this one is the presence of a few similar players currently on Baltimore’s roster. Michael Campanaro, Griff Whalen, and Keenan Reynolds all can duplicate what Amendola brings to varying degrees of effectiveness, but they each come with their own set of question marks.

As for Amendola, he enters the last year on his current deal with New England, and isn’t even a guarantee to make their roster this year. Despite an obligatory heroic performance in the Super Bowl, he had a limited role in 2016, and could see his snaps replaced by someone like Rex Burkhead.

As an undrafted rookie, it’s hard to imagine Ricard typically fetching a price like this, but he’s had a nice camp and has showcased some versatility by getting into preseason games on offense. There’s no doubt that Bill Belichick would love to have someone like that to work with.

RAVENS TRADE: 2018 fourth round pick

BENGALS TRADE: RB Jeremy Hill

This is one that isn’t very likely to happen, but hear me out. It would seem that trading a once productive running back within the division wouldn’t be a smart move, but there a few reasons why it could be.

The first is that the Bengals simply have no need for Hill. He broke out in 2014 as an exciting rookie out of LSU, but since then has been inconsistent and outplayed at certain points. With Giovani Bernard in the mix and Joe Mixon being added to the equation, Hill would be fairly easy to phase out.

As for the Ravens, a typically strong position suddenly looks thin. Kenneth Dixon is out for the year and Danny Woodhead recently suffered a hamstring injury, which leaves Terrance West and Buck Allen to start the season.

If they could make this happen, it might be a nice low risk move with regards to the potential that Hill may still possess. If this were to take place, hopefully it would be one that would make the Bengals regret letting Hill go.

RAVENS TRADE: TE Nick Boyle, 2018 fifth round pick

BILLS TRADE: C Eric Wood

This scenario is one that relies as much on situation as anything else. The Bills have recently shown that they’re willing to make trades to build towards a future with their new regime, and a move like this could make sense for them.

Boyle hasn’t been incredibly reliable as an NFL player, but he’s shown promise when he’s been able to stay on the field. This could be a good pickup for an offense that needs playmakers.

For the Ravens this trade could help answer some questions along their line. Wood would step right in as the starter even with Jeremy Zuttah back into the mix, and would also make Ryan Jensen more of a lock to start at left guard.

Wood is entering the final year of his deal, and with Buffalo showing a tendency to embrace a rebuild, he could be a prime candidate to make his way to the trade market. If he is, Ozzie Newsome absolutely should be calling about him.