Ravens Deemed Trade Deadline Winners Despite Standing Pat on Deadline Day
The only deal made by a Baltimore professional sports team on trade deadline day was the Orioles reuniting with reliever Andrew Kittredge in a trade with the Chicago Cubs.
While the Ravens stood pat on deadline day, General Manager Eric DeCosta did make three trades over the past four weeks, and there’s much to like about all of them. Though Baltimore didn’t make as big a splash as some other teams, ESPN’s Ben Solak listed the Ravens among the trade deadline winners.
Solak noted that last month’s trade, in which the Ravens acquired safety Alohi Gilman and a 2026 fifth-round pick from the Los Angeles Chargers in exchange for outside linebacker Odafe Oweh and a 2027 seventh-round pick, immediately paid dividends for Baltimore.
“Since Week 6 – when Gilman entered the starting lineup – the Ravens are second in points allowed per game, seventh in EPA per play and ninth in success rate,” Solak wrote. “Gilman has been solid. He forced a fumble and recovered another against the Dolphins last Thursday, but his greatest value has been in the unleashing of Kyle Hamilton.”
Bringing in Gilman has allowed Hamilton to play closer to the line of scrimmage, where he thrives.
“Before the Gilman trade, Hamilton spent over 70% of his snaps playing safety, according to NFL Next Gen Stats positional data. That means he was off the line of scrimmage and in the middle of the field, playing in space,” Solak wrote. “After the Gilman trade, Hamilton is back where he belongs. He has lined up at a safety position only six times in three weeks (3.4% of his snaps). He has been in the box on 56.9% of his snaps and has spent another 36.2% at slot corner.
“The ultimate Swiss Army knife, Hamilton can be an outside linebacker-esque edge setter on first-and-10, a suffocating slot corner on second down and a devastating blitzer mugged up in the A-gap on third down – all while Gilman and rookie safety Malaki Starks occupy the defensive backfield.”