Ravens' Jaire Alexander Trade Receives Positive Feedback

While the Ravens have a lot of trades to ponder pitching before the trade deadline, this couldn't have been high on their list of leverage moves to make. Alexander may have been a big name during his heyday, and excited some Baltimore fans upon his signing later in the summer, but he didn't factor into their season nearly as much as many hopefully anticipated.

Alexander's Continued Descent

The former Green Bay Packers star made a few Pro Bowl appearances in the early 2020s before injuries got the better of him in recent years, but he was still only 28 years old when the Ravens signed him as a bought-out free agent. His reuniting with former college teammate Lamar Jackson seemed like a long-time coming entering training camp, with several years of pleas from the star quarterback finally getting fully recognized.

The cornerback room he joined was already loaded, however, and he proved to be one option too many over this regular season's first half.

Marlon Humphrey and Nate Wiggins were no-doubt starters in the secondary, two home-developed prospects-turned-stars with varying levels of mileage to show for themselves, while Chidobe Awuzie has been much more consistent over recent years than fellow newcomer Alexander's been.

That deep position group couldn't make the time for Alexander as a regular option, even as Humphrey seemingly went down every week with a new minor injury. It didn't help that Alexander continued dealing with his dwindling health, as he only appeared in two of the Ravens' first five games to middling results.

For several of their most recent games, he was a healthy scratch, apparently not worth including in Baltimore's cornerback rotation.

Baltimore's Positive Asset Management

Considering that his front office somehow squeezed an improved draft pick out of the veteran who was signed for nothing and demonstrated about as much on the field, the trade seemed to go down as a small win for the Ravens.

"It didn’t work out with Alexander, but the Ravens at least improved a Day 3 draft pick for the short and rocky relationship with the former All-Pro cornerback," Sports Illustrated's Gilbert Manzano wrote. "Somehow the Ravens improved their secondary without having to give up much draft capital and in a way came out on the better end with the fifth rounder from L.A.

"This Baltimore defense probably won’t look back now with a healthy Kyle Hamilton and a much-improved defense that has been pivotal during this two-game winning streak."

While Alexander will continue contending with bench minutes on a more proven contender in the Eagles, the Ravens will continue trooping forward with their recently-discovered defensive spark. There's still work left to be done, but this was a nice margin move.