3 more Ravens trades to make after adding Diontae Johnson to Lamar Jackson’s offense

The Baltimore Ravens responded to their embarrassing Week 8 loss against the lowly Cleveland Browns by pulling off a trade, acquiring Diontae Johnson in a deal with the Carolina Panthers.

Johnson gives Lamar Jackson and this high-powered Ravens offense another weapon for defenses to worry about. If there was a hole in this offense, it was that the wide receiver room lacked much depth. The Johnson addition changes that.

While the Johnson trade was a great one for Baltimore, it's pretty safe to say that offense was not the team's biggest need. More work should be done by GM Eric DeCosta to give this Ravens team its best shot at winning the Super Bowl. Pulling off any of these three deals would make the Ravens substantially better.

3) Tyrann Mathieu would help bolster a struggling secondary

The biggest problem on this Ravens team right now is their ability to defend the pass, or lack thereof. Through eight weeks of the season, the Ravens have allowed a whopping 291.4 passing yards per game. That's over 20 more yards per game than the next-worst team, which is the 2-6 Jacksonville Jaguars. A big reason why they've allowed the seventh-most points per game (26.1) is because of their dreadful defense against the pass.

Just this past week, we saw Jameis Winston, in his first start of the season, throw for 334 yards and three touchdowns against Baltimore for a now 2-6 Browns team that had recently traded its best receiver, Amari Cooper. That should tell you all you need to know.

With that in mind, exploring a trade for Saints safety Tyrann Mathieu makes a lot of sense for Baltimore. Mathieu might not be the star he once was in the secondary, but he has been one of the few bright spots for the 2-6 New Orleans Saints, reeling in a pair of interceptions, forcing a fumble, and recording 33 tackles.

Mathieu's durability (15+ games played in eight straight seasons) can't be overlooked, and the fact that he's won a Super Bowl before makes him even more intriguing. The Ravens might have to move some money around to make him fit, but Mathieu makes a lot of sense as a Ravens target.

2) Za'Darius Smith would be a welcome addition if the Browns are willing to send him to a division rival

Bolstering the secondary would be the most obvious way to help a struggling defense against the pass, but improving the defensive line would help as well. Doing so would allow Baltimore to get more pressure against the opposing quarterback and help expose this secondary less. Za'Darius Smith would add a lot of help on that front.

Smith, a former fourth-round pick of the Ravens who played his first four seasons with Baltimore, remains an impactful defensive lineman in his 10th NFL season. The 32-year-old has recorded five sacks and 22 tackles - five of which have come for a loss - along with six QB hits in eight games. He'd rank second on this Ravens team behind Kyle Van Noy in both sacks and tackles for loss.

It remains to be seen as to whether the Browns would be willing to trade Smith to an AFC North rival, especially when considering the fact that the 32-year-old is under contract for another year, but if they are, he'd be a great addition to a defense that badly needs it.

1) The Ravens should pursue a Jadeveon Clowney reunion

One of the great surprises that came from last season was the outstanding play of Jadeveon Clowney. In 17 games, the 31-year-old tied a career-high with 9.5 sacks recorded, while also tacking on 43 tackles, nine tackles for loss, 19 QB hits, and a pair of forced fumbles. Clowney was a legitimate force on their defensive line.

He's had a down year since inking a two-year deal to join the Carolina Panthers, but it's reasonable to blame at least some of that on the fact that he's on a 1-7 team going nowhere. Going from that to a Ravens team that is one of the best in the AFC, especially when he thrived in his lone season in Baltimore, might give Clowney a major boost.

Given his struggles in Carolina, Clowney would not cost much at all to acquire. He's on a Panthers team that is rebuilding, and that the Ravens just made the Johnson deal with. His struggles this season might make him less intriguing, but the Ravens shouldn't forget the year he had for them in 2023. Clowney would give them a much-needed boost at an area in which they could really use one.