Roundtable: Reactions to the Ravens trading Orlando Brown Jr.

In light of the Ravens officially trading Orlando Brown Jr. to the Kansas City Chiefs this afternoon, some of our Baltimore Beatdown staff share their thoughts:

I’m torn on this trade. On one hand, the Ravens got some value for a player that would be gone in a year anyway. On the other hand, the biggest bully in the AFC (who Baltimore has been unable to beat) just got better on paper. Eric DeCosta can win me over with good use of these picks, however. This gives the Ravens ammunition to be flexible early in the draft. Even with the expected signing of Alejandra Villanueva, there is still a big hole at RT that needs to be addressed in the draft, whether that be a player like Teven Jenkins in the first round, or more of a developmental player on Day 2.

— Dustin Cox

While many are taking the perspective of breaking all their toys so that their younger sibling can’t have them, the Ravens made a solid deal. Over The Cap values the Ravens return as equivalent to the 16th overall pick.

Brown was gone one way or another. The Ravens traded Brown, who they selected with the 83rd pick in the 2018 draft, for a first rounder, while essentially trading back from 58 to 94 + 136. Seeming primed to add Alejandro Villenueva and presumably another tackle in the best tackle class in quite some time, the Ravens now have the 2021 Draft as their oyster, with endless possibilities.

— Spencer Schultz

The writing has been on the wall that a trade was immanent but did it have to be to the Chiefs. Of all the teams they could’ve dealt a two-time Pro Bowl tackle to, it had to be the one that they have had the most trouble with since Lamar became the starter. On one hand, I love the compensation they got in return for the 2018 third rounder but I’m also not a fan of the rich getting richer unless it’s the Ravens that are the ones clearly coming out on top. I’m curious to see how this move affects Eric DeCosta and Company’s strategy heading into the draft next week but at least they now have the ammo to move up and down the board however I would’ve preferred they held onto their 2021 second rounder but they’ll probably just flip 31 into a pair of day two picks anyways.

— Joshua Reed

Unsurprisingly, the Ravens stayed true to their long term sustainability objective with this trade.

It could prove detrimental to help the two-time defending AFC champion Chiefs while adding another crucial, premium need at a position group that required immediate offseason upgrades. The success or failure of this trade will ultimately be determined by the players DeCosta selects with the draft capital acquired.

Baltimore must now find several instant impact rookies to matchup with Kansas City in 2021. Hopefully the draft board falls in their favor.

— Vasilis Lericos

Despite the nice haul the Ravens received from the trade, I wouldn’t necessarily say the Ravens won the trade as the Ravens will be facing Brown and the Chiefs on an annual basis. Heading into the draft with extra capital, the Ravens should really look to address the pass rush position to counter the Brown trade. Also, the pieces appear to be in place for bringing in Alejandro Villanueva, who’d be a nice alternative to Brown. Overall, I believe Kansas City won the trade by netting a premier left tackle. Baltimore’s grade of the trade will be altered depending on who they select with their extra draft picks.

— Adrian Charchalis

I am surprised that the Chiefs wound up being the destination for Orlando Brown Jr. It definitely stings quite a bit bit to equip the best team in the AFC with a Pro Bowl player at a premium position. However, Brown was out the door one way or another.

This trade has afforded the Ravens tremendous flexibility to wheel and deal in the draft next weekend. They could potentially acquire a handful of impact rookies while only downgrading marginally at right tackle. How Eric DeCosta maneuvers and who the Ravens acquire with their newfound capital will determine the level of success of the trade.

— Frank J. Platko