Even though everyone seems afraid to admit it, the Cleveland Browns are the best team in the AFC North right now. That doesn't mean that will be the case in four months, but through four weeks, that's just a fact.
That's why it's nice to see the Baltimore Ravens make moves that will set them back in the long run.
Trading for center Cam Jurgens might help Baltimore now on paper, but it cost them way too much money and even more assets.
ESPN's Seth Walder gave the Ravens a D+ grade for acquiring the Philadelphia Eagles' veteran interior lineman, and that might've been too generous. He's locked in for the long haul, hasn't been good since 2024, and with Lamar Jackson's contract looming large, this could trigger a ripple effect.
Let's break it down.
Baltimore's win-now gamble could make the Browns' AFC North future even brighter
Let's start with the obvious here. The Ravens let Tyler Linderbaum — arguably the best center in the game — walk away in free agency to avoid paying him a premium. They played the compensatory pick game, which made sense to a degree.
The only problem with that logic is that they didn't have any top-tier replacements. The Ravens even signed former Browns starter Ethan Pocic in mid-July, and had to move rookie Olaiavega Ioane to center after losing Pocic and Jovaughn Gwyn to injuries.
While the Ravens will indeed get a compensatory pick for Linderbaum, they just agreed to send a 2028 second-round pick to Philadelphia as a part of this deal. That means they will ultimately give up a higher pick than the one they'll receive.
Then there's the financial problem. Jurgens is due a fully guaranteed $16 million next year, and while that's the final guaranteed amount in his contract, the Ravens already have salary cap issues because of Jackson's situation.
The Ravens' quarterback has them in a tough spot. The team is on the hook for an $84 million-plus cap hit in 2027, and he has all the leverage. He can either ask for a fully guaranteed contract or force a trade.
It feels like the Ravens are just patching things up and trying to go all-in this season at the expense of whatever may happen in the future. But what if they can't figure it out in the first year of a rookie head coach?
They gave up a premium draft asset for an average center who will cost them big bucks when they're already in a financial conundrum. This is the type of move that holds a team back for years — and the rising Browns should be thrilled about that.
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