The Dallas Cowboys selected East Carolina product and cornerback Shavon Revel in the third round of the 2025 NFL draft, which has led some to believe the team could possibly trade one of its incumbents before the season starts.
Those incumbents are DaRon Bland and Trevon Diggs, both of whom missed a huge chunk of the 2024 campaign due to injury.
While the Cowboys are probably open to trading Diggs more than Bland, his huge contract and recent injury history will make it almost impossible to move him.
Bland, on the other hand, is still on a rookie deal, which makes him very cheap and far more attractive than Diggs. However, he's also entering the final year of his contract and could be traded if the Cowboys don't see a future with him.
Because of all that, Last Word on Sports' Anthony Palacios is proposing a trade that sends Bland to the Baltimore Ravens.
Last season, the Baltimore Ravens had one of the worst 2024 campaigns when it came to their secondary unit. Veteran Marlon Humphrey did what he could to hold the department together like glue, while Brandon Stephens and Marcus Williams were the most inconsistent defenders. The Ravens found some life in Ar’Darius Washington, but it’s hard to imagine this roster will depend on Chidobe Awuzie for depth behind 2024 draft pick Nate Wiggins. Bland is easily the better cornerback over Awuzie and could be a significant upgrade for this unit if he can stay healthy.
Unlike the Cowboys, the Ravens did not draft a cornerback early and instead waited all the way until the sixth round to take one.
Baltimore did, however, acquire veteran Chidobe Awuzie in free agency, although he has been injury prone and isn't guaranteed to stay on the field.
It goes without saying that those two moves simply aren't good enough for a team that sported one of the worst pass defenses in the NFL in 2024 and is hoping to make a run at the Super Bowl in a loaded conference in 2025.
While it's true Bland missed 11 games last season, he did play in a full 17 over the first two years of his career, and he earned a Pro Bowl and first-team All-Pro nods during the 2023 campaign.
Over the last two years, Bland has posted impressive completion rates against of 59.5% and 60.8%, respectively, and his 60.8 passer rating in 2023 was his best.
With Bland in the fold, the Ravens would have one of the better trios at cornerback in the NFL, along with Nate Wiggins and Marlon Humphrey. And, Awuzie would be an elite backup.
The Ravens are up against it when it comes to the salary cap, so Bland's meager $5.4 million cap hit is a perfect fit.
When it comes to draft compensation, the Ravens would probably have to give up a mid-round pick, and more than likely a third-rounder, although he could see it potentially costing more given the promise Bland has shown during his career.
That would be a small price to pay for a Ravens team that has to get better in the secondary if it wants to compete for a Super Bowl in 2025.
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