5 wide receivers the Ravens could acquire besides Antonio Brown

3. A.J. Green, Cincinnati Bengals

Green missed all of last season with an ankle injury, and he has played 10 or fewer games in three of the last four seasons. “If he’s healthy” has become a necessary part of the narrative around Green, and he’ll turn 32 soon (July 31).

Green will play the 2020 season the franchise tag, worth $17.9 million. Baltimore has less than $7.5 million in cap space right now, so that’s a pretty big barrier to a trade. But they have e some pieces they could send back to the Bengals in a trade (Jimmy Smith, Willie Snead, Gus Edwards?), and some contract maneuvering could be done?

As the Ravens try to overtake the Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs, adding pieces to bolster their offense feels like a prerequisite. That’s why it’s so easy to tie them to Antonio Brown, as a high-reward move with no on-field or contractual risk as long as it’s designed right.

Green comes with a different kind of risk, rooted in durability. There’s a case on both sides of the idea the Bengals will or won’t trade him, now or into the season near the deadline if it comes to that. It would be a major move and not easily pulled off, but the Ravens should have Green somewhere on their radar.