2018 NFL trade deadline: 12 trades that should happen

INDIANAPOLIS, IN – DECEMBER 14: Demaryius Thomas #88 of the Denver Broncos runs after a catch during a game against the Indianapolis Colts at Lucas Oil Stadium on December 14, 2017 in Indianapolis, Indiana. The Broncos won 25-13. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images)

Broncos trade Shane Ray to Rams; Demaryius Thomas to Ravens

The headliner in these two deals is wide receiver Demaryius Thomas, so let’s start there. Benjamin Allbright of Mile High Sports reported that the Broncos haven’t received any quality offers for the near-31-year-old, and that makes sense considering his age, dip in production, and salary.

His yards per reception has dipped the last two years, which coincides with mediocre and worse quarterback play. Thomas still gets open despite lower target and raw numbers though, and a better signal-caller would find him. He’s not much better than Case Keenum, but Baltimore’s Joe Flacco needs Thomas as the Ravens push for the playoffs.

Flacco doesn’t currently have a big playmaker like Thomas. John Brown has been shockingly good, and Michael Crabtree is decent, but Thomas would give the Ravens a legitimate trio of options. More important is his unique ability to gain yards after the catch.

With about $6 million owed to him still but the Ravens with $5 million in space, some tweaking needs to be done. I’ll cover that later this article.

For Shane Ray, this comes down to which third edge-rusher the Broncos want to pay for. Ray has played slightly less than Shaquil Barrett and is considerably less well-rounded in the talent department. The Rams could use a cheap pass-rusher though, and can deal 2019 compensatory picks for him.

The Rams need to go all-in on a Super Bowl. Ray would be a familiar face for Wade Phillips, and would immediately bolster his third-down defensive packages. Swapping a third-round compensatory pick for a Day 3 pick would give the Broncos a little value for selling off their former first-rounder who could leave anyway.