The Baltimore Ravens have reportedly made a trade with the St. Louis Rams to acquire wide receiver Chris Givens.
ESPN’s Adam Schefter broke this news on Saturday morning, noting the Ravens traded a 7th-round pick to St. Louis to make the deal, and in the process also put Michael Campanaro (back) on IR.
This move makes plenty of sense for both parties.
Baltimore is desperate for help at the receiver position. Rookie Breshad Perriman has been ruled out indefinitely after he needed knee surgery this week, and both Steve Smith Sr. and Michael Campanaro suffered back injuries on Thursday night in the gut-check win against the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Givens isn’t a No. 1 receiver, but he has been known to stretch the field. In his three-plus years in the league, playing with sub-standard quarterbacks, he has caught 88 passes for 1,433 yards (16.3 yards per catch) with four touchdowns.
Given the deep accuracy of Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco, it’s fair to say his weekly numbers might be impressive if he can step right in and integrate into the team’s offense.
As for how this deal benefits the Rams, Givens had fallen out of favor in St. Louis and had only two touches this season, and zero starts. Making this move allows Rams general manager Les Snead to get something out of a player who was already halfway out the door.