In a move that surprised few on Saturday, the Ravens traded disappointing and seldom-used cornerback Jaire Alexander to Philadelphia in a late-round pick swap.
General manager Eric DeCosta sent Alexander and a 2027 seventh-round pick to the Eagles in exchange for a sixth-round pick in next year’s draft. The move amounts to little more than a salary dump as Baltimore saves roughly $2 million in salary cap space, which is notable with the trade deadline looming on Tuesday. Of course, it’s also an acknowledgement of one of DeCosta’s most notable offseason moves not panning out.
A two-time Pro Bowl selection in Green Bay who had played in more than seven games just once in the previous four seasons due to injuries, Alexander signed a one-year, $4 million deal to much fanfare during mandatory minicamp in mid-June, but he appeared in only two games even as the Ravens struggled mightily on defense in September and early October. And while a lingering knee injury sidelined him for much of training camp, the 28-year-old hadn’t been listed on the injury report since Week 2. A teammate of Lamar Jackson at Louisville, Alexander played poorly in the season-opening collapse at Buffalo and didn’t appear in another game until the Oct. 5 blowout defeat to Houston when the Ravens were down multiple starting cornerbacks.
“He’s working super hard. I don’t think he’s 100% back yet, but we sure needed him out there with all the injuries and stuff like that,” head coach John Harbaugh said the day after the 44-10 loss to the Texans. “I thought he went out there, really fought, and really tried to do well. As far as the level of it, there’s a lot more football in Jaire for sure. That’s what we have to just try to keep pulling out.”
However, the Ravens acquired safety Alohi Gilman from the Los Angeles Chargers the next day and immediately transitioned to a three-safety defense, which made Alexander’s path to playing time even more difficult behind starters Nate Wiggins and Marlon Humphrey and reserves Chidobe Awuzie and T.J. Tampa.
