The Baltimore Ravens are in the midst of a disastrous season and the last thing this team should be thinking about right now is buying at the NFL trade deadline.
Of course, things could change over the next few weeks if Lamar Jackson comes back (he didn't practice on Monday, so that's not a good sign), but a 1-5 record certainly doesn't scream contender.
Despite that, CBS Sports' Jonathan Jones thinks the Ravens "still profile as buyers" and he doesn't believe the Ravens should simply stand pat.
"The Ravens (1-5) sent away Odafe Oweh and could still add an edge rusher in the next two weeks. Frankly, the Ravens could and should add anywhere on defense," he wrote. "Tight end Mark Andrews is in trade rumors because he's in the final year of his deal, but an acquiring team would still need more than $3 million in cap space to bring him on. Quarterback Lamar Jackson is back this week and there's still time to make up ground in an AFC North that's there for the taking."
If the Ravens win the next two games before the trade deadline, we could see them getting aggressive.
However, anything short of that and the Ravens should stand pat, or even sell, as giving up draft capital for a player who stands no chance of helping the team turn its season around simply makes no sense.
As things stand now, the Ravens are in last place in the AFC North and have six teams ahead of them for the final spot in the AFC Wild Card picture. That is a massive mountain to climb, even if the Ravens win the next two contests.
If Baltimore does end up buying, it's going to be for a defense that is among the worst in the NFL. The Ravens rank 28th against the pass, 26th against the run and dead-last in points allowed.
The Ravens have typically proven to be one of the better franchises in the league when it comes to operating the right way. Trading away draft assets at 1-7 or 2-6 would fly in the face of that.
NFL trade rumors