The Baltimore Ravens enter the 2023 draft in a peculiar situation. Their presumed franchise quarterback in Lamar Jackson has yet to sign a long-term extension with the club, instead currently sitting on the non-exclusive franchise tag.
With the uncertainty surrounding Jackson, Matt Holder of Bleacher Report says that the team could target trading up in the draft for a quarterback. When explaining his decision as to why, Holder mentioned Jackson’s trade request that became public last month, and referenced a proposal from ESPN’s Bill Barnwell as to how the team could move up while also moving on from Jackson to find their new quarterback of the future.
“The 26-year-old has already requested a trade, and the 2019 NFL MVP should be enough for the Ravens to move up the draft board and find his replacement…ESPN’s Bill Barnwell recently proposed that Baltimore exchange Jackson to acquire the second overall pick along with some other compensation. The deal would give the Houston Texans the quarterback of the future they’re looking for, while the Ravens can draft C.J. Stroud, whom Houston is apparently not all that interested in…The Ravens have a good roster heading into the 2023 campaign, but that’s not going to matter much if Tyler Huntley is starting under center. So they need to be aggressive if they want to remain a legitimate playoff contender.”
