The Baltimore Ravens lost their top three options at center due to injury this season, so they were forced to peruse the trade market to find a new starter. The Ravens found a trade partner in the Philadelphia Eagles, who sent two-time Pro Bowler Cam Jurgens plus a 2027 seventh-round pick to Baltimore in exchange for a 2027 fifth-round pick and a 2028 second-round pick.
Jurgens has made the Pro Bowl in each of the last two seasons. The Eagles drafted him with the No. 51 overall pick in the 2022 NFL Draft out of Nebraska, and he replaced Jason Kelce once the longtime center retired following the 2023 season. However, Jurgens has played at multiple spots on the interior of the offensive line over his five NFL seasons. He spent the majority of his time in 2023 at right guard, played a combined 1,867 snaps at center from 2024-25, then shifted to left guard this season while Drew Kendall took over at center. Jurgens has struggled at guard this year, but should return to his natural position of center in Baltimore.
The Ravens had Danny Pinter suffer a torn patellar tendon in training camp, which ended his season before it began, then saw Jovaughn Gwyn suffer an ankle injury and Ethan Pocic a knee injury in the Week 3 victory against the Dallas Cowboys. That forced first-round pick Vega Ioane to move from right guard to center, while Andrew Vorhees came off the bench to start at right guard in Week 4. Now, the Ravens have not only found an answer at center for this year, but likely for years to come. Jurgens signed a four-year, $68 million extension just last offseason.
"Cam is a player we have long admired going all the way back to the draft process," Ravens general manager Eric DeCosta said in a statement, per The Athletic. "He's a young foundational piece along our offensive line – a great scheme and cultural fit who will contribute quickly in Baltimore. We are confident that Cam will significantly impact our team and community."
For the Eagles, this trade marks the second solidified starter that Philly has lost in the last 24 hours. Six-time Pro Bowl right tackle Lane Johnson announced his immediate retirement from the NFL on Tuesday afternoon, saying that it is "critical" that he focuses on his mental health at this moment. The Eagles now prepare to travel across the pond to face the Jacksonville Jaguars in London on Sunday with a very different-looking offensive line.
Let's attempt to grade this trade.
Eagles: B-
I wouldn't go as far as to say this is a "win-win" trade, but there are two reasons why this deal makes sense for the Eagles. If you don't plan to play Jurgens at center for the future and would rather have Kendall hold down that position, then trading him was an option. PFF claims Jurgens played his worst game of the season (28.3 grade) against the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday. Secondly, a fifth-round pick and a second-round pick are absolutely adequate compensation.
There are reasons to dislike this trade, as well. The Eagles just lost their right tackle to retirement and left guard Landon Dickerson is already on injured reserve. Now, you willingly go down three Week 1 starters on the offensive line? Gone are the days of the Eagles having a dominant offensive line. That was already the case before this trade, if we are being honest with ourselves, given Jeff Stoutland's retirement this offseason, but with the losses of Johnson and Jurgens over the last day, it really feels like the end of an era. Who else could the Eagles opt to trade before the Nov. 10 deadline?
Howie Roseman got nice compensation here, but we're still left with big questions about the offensive line and direction of the franchise at large. Jalen Hurts hasn't looked comfortable in this new Sean Mannion offense, and now, his offensive line is worse.
PositionLTLGCRGRTWeek 1
Landon Dickerson
Cam Jurgens
Lane Johnson
Week 5 (projected)
Jordan Mailata
Drew Kendall
Tyler Steen
Ravens: B+
No underwhelming free-agent signing, no band-aid, the Ravens are going all-in for a Tyler Linderbaum replacement that will be in the lineup for years to come. I can appreciate that. Jurgens was forced to play left guard this season due to Dickerson's injury, and it was not going well. So, a contender in the opposing conference swung a trade to bring him back to his natural position, which also moves Ioane back to where he wants to be at right guard.
Protecting Lamar Jackson is the only way the Ravens reach their ceiling. He missed four games last year due to a lingering hamstring injury, and Baltimore missed the playoffs. Now, the two-time NFL MVP is dealing with an ankle injury, for which we still don't have clarity. A good offensive line means a protected Lamar, and a protected Lamar is likely a healthy Lamar, and a healthy Lamar gives the Ravens their best chance to win a Super Bowl. I view Jurgens as an upgrade over Pinter, Gwyn and Pocic.
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