Baltimore Ravens: Grading the Ty Montgomery trade
By Andrew Kim
The Baltimore Ravens improved their offense/special teams and gave up very little to do so by trading for Green Bay Packers Running Back/ Wide Receiver Ty Montgomery.
After the critical mistake Ty Montgomery made that potentially cost the Green Bay Packers the game against the Los Angeles Rams, it was clear he was on his way out with the decreased snaps in a crowded backfield.
According to Adam Schefter, the Ravens traded a 2020 seventh round pick for the running back/former wide receiver out of Stanford.
Ravens are trading a 7th-round pick in 2020 draft to Packers for Ty Montgomery, per source. Packers clearly wanted to move on, and so did Montgomery.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) October 30, 2018
With Aaron Jones and Jamaal Williams, the Packers will roll with their running back tandem as they move on without their former third-round pick from Stanford in 2015. The Ravens have had good luck with players getting second chances, an example being John Brown from the Arizona Cardinals, who they signed to a one year deal this past offseason.
Baltimore needed to make a move at running back with Alex Collins and Buck Allen struggling on the ground. The run game has been a recurring issue all year with the inconsistent and bad playcalling, poor run blocking, and injuries to the offensive line. All have combined to make the Ravens offense one dimensional.
That said, Collins has been missing holes and his regression has been unexpected in 2018. Against good defenses, the Ravens’ running game has been ineffective and when teams bottle up John Brown, it looks like they do not have a solution to their offensive problems.
Their running game is ranked 19th and Collins’ best game was against the Denver Broncos in week three of the season, only rushing for 68 yards on 18 carries. Collins is averaging only 3.7 yards per carry while Allen is getting fewer snaps and is averaging 2.6 yards per carry as the third down/receiving back.
Even though they could get Kenneth Dixon back from injured reserve in a few weeks, I do not think he can be trusted to improve the run game as he has had off the field issues his whole career (whether it is injuries or suspensions).
The Ravens are only limited to around $5 million in cap space so they had to make a low budget move that has upside at a position of need and Montgomery fits the bill as he is still on his rookie deal (Free agent in 2019).
They cut inside linebacker Albert McClellan to make room for Montgomery as they will roll with four running backs on the depth chart (Collins, Allen, Gus Edwards, Montgomery) and I expect him to make a bigger impact after the bye in week nine.
I love the value the Ravens gave up for a versatile player that can make an impact as a runner, as a pass catcher, and on special teams. Even though he fumbled last week, he only has four fumbles in four years as Alex Collins has nine fumbles in three years, making Montgomery’s fumbling problems seem overblown.
Montgomery is a free agent in 2019 and he can be considered a half-year rental if the Ravens decide not to keep the 25-year-old running back/wide receiver next year if this does not work out despite giving up very little for him.
Montgomery was phasing out in the Packers offense as he is a low risk, upside player that can help, especially on third downs. He is above average at pass blocking and gives Joe Flacco another weapon in the passing game.
His role in the offense will depend on whether offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg can utilize him well all over the field. The Ravens added cornerback Cyrus Jones as a returner a few weeks ago from the practice squad and have Chris Moore but he could compete with those guys if they do not perform.
In his four year career with the Packers rushing and receiving, he has 274 touches, 1676 yards from scrimmage, 10 total touchdowns, and averages 6.1 yards per touch. I give this trade an above average grade as it is not the splash move the Ravens needed but in their circumstance, was a good move nonetheless.
The 4-4 Ravens are heading into a rematch with the 4-2-1 Pittsburgh Steelers at home as it is considered a must-win game in week eight heading into the bye week, and he could help the Ravens push for a playoff spot in November and December.