OWINGS MILLS, Md. — In the midst of their bye week with a disappointing 2-6 record, the Ravens did not make any moves before Tuesday’s league-wide trade deadline at 4 p.m.
They weren’t alone as the only deal of significance around the NFL occurred Monday with the Denver Broncos acquiring two-time Pro Bowl tight end Vernon Davis from the San Francisco 49ers. The lack of activity was not a surprising development given the quiet history of the trade deadline in the NFL compared to the other major professional sports.
“There’s always a lot of talk and a lot of nothing happens,” head coach John Harbaugh said on Monday. “I’m interested if somebody calls [about] how we could get better, but usually nothing comes of it.”
Despite no activity on Tuesday, general manager Ozzie Newsome did complete two trades in the first half of the regular season, acquiring cornerback Will Davis from Miami in exchange for a 2016 seventh-round pick on Sept. 21 and adding wide receiver Chris Givens from St. Louis for a 2018 seventh-round pick on Oct. 3. Davis suffered a season-ending knee injury on Oct. 11, but Givens has steadily emerged as a vertical threat for a passing game now without top receiver Steve Smith for the rest of the season.
With their playoff hopes all but gone at the midway point of the season, the Ravens were wise to hold on to future draft resources instead of making a deal for a short-term fix at receiver or another position of need.
