When the Baltimore Ravens traded tackle Orlando Brown Jr. to the Kansas City Chiefs, there were plenty of questions as to why Baltimore would trade a star offensive lineman to a competitor who had some questions on their offensive line heading into the offseason. Brown will certainly help Kansas City protect quarterback Patrick Mahomes, and he’ll now be directly in the way of the Ravens advancing to the Super Bowl if the Ravens and Chiefs play in the playoffs.
When asked about the reasoning behind trading Brown to Kansas City on the Rich Eisen Show, head coach John Harbaugh said that the Chiefs made the best offer, and were considering what was best for their team, not other teams.
Why make a trade with a team that definitely helps a team you're trying to get through to make the Super Bowl?@Ravens head coach John Harbaugh explained the @ZEUS__78 trade with #ChiefsKingdom and how it helps his team:#NFL #NFLTrade pic.twitter.com/bp5JzM3m7P
— Rich Eisen Show (@RichEisenShow) April 28, 2021
Harbaugh also mentioned that Brown had hammered his point home throughout the season, saying “I’m a left tackle” after some games, on the way to the bus, and even in the weight room at points. The head coach didn’t disagree that Brown was a left tackle, and said that the organization had “three great years with him”.
In terms of why Kansas City, Harbaugh said that he would “play whoever we would play” and not be afraid of any player or team, so it looks like Baltimore didn’t feel that they were doing themselves a disservice by moving Brown to a direct competitor. Instead, they seemed to be thinking about themselves and how they could build their team, and they feel that the Chiefs’ offer gave them the best chance to construct a roster that they’ll be happy with when the 2021 season rolls around.
