The Ravens swung a deal in the final hours before the NFL’s annual trade deadline Nov. 5, acquiring cornerback Tre’Davious White from the Los Angeles Rams in a trade that also involves future seventh-round picks.
General manager Eric DeCosta, however, did not make any deals to address a pass rush that many view to be the Ravens’ most pressing need midway through the 2024 season.
According to terms of the deal, the Ravens acquire White and a 2027 seventh-round pick and send a 2026 seventh-round pick to the Rams.
It’s the second trade swung by DeCosta in the past two weeks; the Ravens last week traded for Carolina wide receiver Diontae Johnson.
News of the trade for White broke just as the Ravens were ending practice, and head coach John Harbaugh said he wanted to speak to DeCosta before making any comment on the deal.
White, 29, played four games for the Rams this season but was a healthy scratch the past three games. He has 12 tackles and two passes defensed.
White was a first-round draft pick by the Buffalo Bills and made the Pro Bowl in 2019 and 2020. In 2019, White led the NFL with six interceptions. He has 18 interceptions in 86 career games.
White, though, has dealt with significant injuries in the past few seasons. He tore his ACL in November 2021, an injury that cost him much of the 2022 season as well. Then four games into last season, he suffered a season-ending Achilles injury.
After playing seven seasons in Buffalo, White signed a one-year deal with the Rams this offseason but has had a limited role.
He will join a Ravens secondary that has been searching for answers all season. The Ravens rank last in the league in passing defense, allowing 280.9 yards a game. Under first year defensive coordinator Zach Orr, the Ravens’ secondary has suffered from communication lapses at times and has also dropped several potential interceptions.
White joins a cornerback group that has featured Marlon Humphrey, Brandon Stephens and Nate Wiggins as starters, and slot cornerback Arthur Maulet is back after missing the first seven games recovering from a knee procedure this past summer. Safety Kyle Hamilton is also frequently used as a slot defender.
The Ravens (6-3), who sit in second place in the AFC North, host the Cincinnati Bengals (4-5) in a big AFC North showdown at M&T Bank Stadium on Nov. 7. They then visit the first-place Steelers (6-2) on Nov. 17.