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The Baltimore Ravens don't have many glaring holes on their roster. While they've been quiet in free agency, a big reason for that is because they didn't necessarily need to make any huge moves. They landed DeAndre Hopkins on a one-year deal to give themselves a very nice receiving trio of Hopkins, Zay Flowers, and Rashod Bateman. Their biggest signing, though, was an internal one, keeping left tackle Ronnie Stanley in Baltimore on a three-year extension.
One current weakness they do have, though, is at guard. Patrick Mekari left for Jacksonville in free agency, which leaves a vacancy that needs filled in the middle of the Ravens' offensive line. With that in mind, Brandon Deeg and Daniel Valente of The Score say the Ravens should take a former Jaguars guard to fill the need. According to Deeg and Valente, Brandon Scherff should be in the crosshairs of the Ravens to be their next right guard.
"Baltimore lost Patrick Mekari in free agency. What better way to replace him than with five-time Pro Bowler Scherff," they write. "While he may not be the player he once was, he'd be an improvement for Baltimore's interior."
Scherff has been the poster child for reliability and durability. He has started all 17 games in each of the last three seasons with the Jacksonville Jaguars. This is the polar opposite of the reputation he had developed in Washington, where he missed 22 games from 2018-21. However, even at the age of 33, Scherff is still a reliable starter at guard. He's a five-time Pro Bowler and a former All-Pro selection in 2020. There aren't any better veteran options for the Ravens at the position as it currently stands, and he would improve their offensive line.
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Kevin O'Connell confirms suspicion why the Vikings traded for Jordan Mason after signing Aaron Jones
Raiders quarterback situation murky after latest update
When the Las Vegas Raiders traded for Geno Smith on Mar. 13, they knew exactly what they were getting themselves into. While Smith is a definite upgrade on Gardner Minshew and Aidan O’Connell, he is also on the last year of his deal during an age-35 season. Both head coach Pete Carroll and general manager John Spytek remain confident that a contract extension will get done in short order, but there are plenty of factors that must be taken into consideration. Until pen is put to paper, the fact of the matter is Smith currently stands as a one-year proposition. On top of all of this, recent comments on the Raiders’ draft strategy has thrown up some mixed signals. Is quarterback still on the table for the Raiders with the sixth pick? According to The Athletic’s Tashan Reed, it sounds like all options for the Raiders remain on the table, including quarterback, when they are on the clock in April’s draft. “Despite trading for Smith, the Raiders remain open to drafting a quarterback as early as the first round of the 2025 draft, according to league sources,” Reed wrote. Spytek’s comments at the annual league meeting on Monday only added to this speculation, suggesting that the addition of Smith to the roster did not alter the Raiders’ draft strategy. “From a team-building standpoint, I don’t think it changes our approach at all,” Spytek said. “We’re deep into the evaluation of the quarterbacks in this class, and we’re going to stay in that. … We could take one anywhere.” With Miami quarterback Cam Ward expected to go number one to the Tennessee Titans, that leaves Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders for the Raiders to take at six. Recent reports have suggested Sanders is a candidate to slide down the draft, so connecting him back to the Raiders is a welcome sight for him and his camp. Sanders has openly flirted about the idea of playing for the Raiders in 2025 for months, even after the Smith trade. The idea of learning the NFL game from a longtime veteran like Smith, as well as a seasoned offensive coordinator in Chip Kelly, should give the Raiders some confidence in the development of Sanders or any quarterback they take. Should Smith’s contract extension remain unsettled closer to the draft, expect the Sanders rumors to kick back into overdrive again.
Houston Astros May Have Just Lost Their Star Pitcher for Good
The Houston Astros know that pitcher Framber Valdez is slated to hit the free-agent market next offseason, and all along, they understood that they may not be able to re-sign him. Well, now, the Astros are probably resigned to the fact that Valdez will be departing them next winter. The Boston Red Sox just agreed to a six-year, $170 million contract extension with Garrett Crochet, and Drew Koch of Climbing Tal’s Hill feels that Crochet’s deal mean’s “Houston’s hope of retaining Valdez is officially extinguished.” Considering that Crochet has only been a starting pitcher for one full season (barely) and just landed such a hefty contract, Valdez will surely land a megadeal, at least from an average annual value perspective. It should be noted that Valdez is 31 years old, so he probably won’t be landing a six-year pact like the 25-year-old Crochet. However, even if he only secures a three-year contract, the Astros will likely have difficulty matching the annual money. “The Astros have watched players like George Springer, Carlos Correa, and most recently Alex Bregman enter the free agent market and never return,” added Koch. “Houston even made a somewhat competitive offer for Bregman this past offseason, but the Red Sox obliterated that after handing Bregman a three-year, $120 million deal.” Valdez broke into the big leagues with the Astros in 2018 and became a full-time starter in 2021. He earned back-to-back All-Star selections in 2022 and 2023, leading the American League with 201.1 innings pitched in the former campaign. Last year, the Dominican native went 15-7 with a 2.91 ERA, allowing 140 hits while registering 169 strikeouts over 176.1 frames. He owns a lifetime 3.28 ERA across 158 outings and 136 starts. Houston has consistently been near the top of the majors in payroll, ranking second as recently as 2023. This year, however, the Astros have dipped to ninth. It’s possible that they continue to fall in that category as more time passes.
5-Star Recruit Brayden Burries To Commit To USC Trojans Soon? McDonald's All-American
The USC Trojans are one of the suitors for class of 2025 five-star guard Brayden Burries. His final five schools he is considering are the USC Trojans, Arizona Wildcats, Tennessee Volunteers, Oregon Ducks, and Alabama Crimson Tide. Burries told ESPN on Monday that he is “almost ready” to announce his college commitment between these five schools. Burries is playing in the 2025 McDonald’s All-American game on Tuesday night. Could a commitment announcement be coming shortly after the game? Brayden Burries Player Profile Brayden Burries is a 6-4, 200 pound guard out of San Bernardino, California. Burries is rated as a five-star recruit and ranked as the No. 11 overall player in the class of 2025 per 247Sports. Burries was evaluated by director of scouting, Adam Finklestein, in January of this year. “Burries is a big-bodied scoring guard and three-level threat….He was a downhill playmaker at an early age, but has developed some real feel and craft as a creator,” Finklestein said. “He can elongate his strides at the end of his drives, has a terrific left hand as both a driver and a finisher, good body control, and can rise-up to hammer big dunk on unsuspecting defenders.” Finklestein highlights Burries as a prospect who is off and on from beyond the arc, but has a very “formidable” mid-range range jumper. “Burries has a very formidable mid-range game. He can dance with his handle to create space for for pull-up, and can also go to a step-back range out beyond the arc,” Finklestein said. “His numbers beyond the arc have been streaky…but his release is projectable, even if not totally pure…He’s also a high percentage free throw shooter.” Burries does it on the defensive end as well, making him a well rounded prospect. “Burries possesses soft hands, solid floor vision, and a reliable enough hand to have some off/on ball versatility. He is also an excellent rebounding guard. Defensively, he is fully engaged, physical, and competitive," Finklestein said. "Overall, Burries is a strong and physical guard, who can get his buckets in a variety of ways.” MORE: Somber Reaction To USC Trojans' JuJu Watkins' Season-Ending Injury USC Trojans Class of 2025 The USC Trojans 2025 recruiting class is currently ranked No. 11 per 247Sports. USC has signed four-star shooting guard Jerry Easter and received the commitments from five-star shooting guard Alijah Arenas and four-star guard Elzie Harrington. The Trojans have had an up and down season in coach Eric Musselman’s first year. USC finished the season with a 16-17 record and 14th place in the Big Ten. USC will debut in the first ever “College Basketball Crown” Tournament against Tulane on Tuesday night. Musselman has shown at his previous stops in college basketball that he can excel at both hitting the transfer portal and recruiting. Will he be able address the Trojans' needs heading into next season.
Interesting detail emerges about DK Metcalf's Seahawks exit
Wide receiver DK Metcalf’s trade request this offseason came as a surprise to the general public. A new report suggests that to the Seattle Seahawks, it was nothing new. Metcalf had requested trades from the Seahawks “multiple times” in previous offseasons, according to Brady Henderson of ESPN. Those requests never became public, and the organization navigated them internally. The report states that the Seahawks had not intended to trade Metcalf at the start of the offseason. However, the public trade request and Metcalf’s need for a new contract forced their hand. This offers some context for why the Seahawks traded Metcalf as quickly as they did. First, he had been entering the final year of a rookie contract extension. The Seahawks likely were not optimistic about signing him to a new deal when the wide receiver had signaled on multiple occasions that he wanted out. In addition, Metcalf wanted a trade to a contender despite Seattle going 10-7 in 2024, but that concern probably existed long before the previous season even started. Ultimately, Metcalf was traded to the Pittsburgh Steelers, where he signed a five-year, $150 million contract extension. The Seahawks landed the 52nd overall pick in this year’s draft as part of the trade. The Steelers will be relying on Metcalf to give their offense a much-needed downfield threat. The 27-year-old wide receiver has three 1,000-yard seasons to his name with Seattle, and has 48 career touchdown receptions in 97 games.
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