The Baltimore Ravens clearly learned one lesson from their botched trade for Maxx Crosby that manifested itself in their recent trade with the Philadelphia Eagles.
The Ravens took steps to make sure their agreed trade for Eagles center Cam Jurgens would not run into the same issues as their Crosby deal did. According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, Baltimore sent two team doctors to Philadelphia to have Jurgens undergo a physical before the deal was finalized to avoid any embarrassments.
Most NFL trades are agreed to with the physical still pending. The Ravens’ trade for Crosby with the Las Vegas Raiders last offseason was one of them. Crosby ultimately failed Baltimore’s physical, meaning the high-profile trade was never actually completed, which made the Ravens look bad and left Crosby and the Raiders in an awkward spot.
It remains to be seen if other teams copy this process. Failed physicals are not common in the NFL, so it usually is not an issue, but when it does happen, it can really blow up in a team’s face.
The Ravens avoided blowing the trade, but they still took some heat for what they gave up as part of the deal.
