Mark J. Rebilas- USA TODAY Sports
As the Baltimore Ravens acquire left tackle Eugene Monroe from the Jacksonville Jaguars, they apparently intend to ship out their original starting left tackle Bryant McKinnie.
“The Ravens could attempt to trade left tackle Bryant McKinnie now that they’re in the process of finalizing their trade for his replacement, Eugene Monroe, from the Jacksonville Jaguars, according to league sources,” Aaron Wilson noted via the Baltimoresun.
There’s no more speculation on whether or not McKinnie will be in the starting lineup. His weight issues, and his lack of effort by not finishing off blocks pretty much seems to be the final straw.
Yes, the Ravens won the Super Bowl with him last year, and gave him a two-year deal worth $6.3 million, but that won’t be enough to keep him around. It remains to be seen if there is a team around the league willing to part ways with some draft picks to trade for McKinnie.
The Ravens have always been looking for a better alternative than McKinnie, and they finally found it in Monroe. At age 34, McKinnie just isn’t a viable option at this point as a starter as the Ravens have been moving toward being younger all over the roster.
Is it necessary for the Ravens to trade him? No, the Ravens would arguably have the best depth at left tackle in the NFL if he stayed. But McKinnie isn’t in their long-term plans, so from the Ravens’ standpoint they may be thinking that it would be best for the Ravens to accumulate as many draft picks as they can.
I personally would keep McKinnie just for this season in case of an injury. The Ravens can do a lot worse than having McKinnie as their backup.
Wola Odeniran is a writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on twitter at WolaOdeniran52, like him on Facebook or add him to your network on Google.
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