The Baltimore Ravens have traded center Jeremy Zuttah to the San Francisco 49ers in exchange for a swap of sixth round picks. Baltimore will move up 12 slots in the sixth round, as they receive pick no. 186 in exchange for pick no. 198. The trade was announced by Baltimore’s team website.
We have traded center Jeremy Zuttah to the San Francisco 49ers and swapped sixth-round picks: https://t.co/ar90cvKkjL pic.twitter.com/9IkamyQhDt
— Baltimore Ravens (@Ravens) March 15, 2017
This is a good deal for both teams. The Ravens get cap space — $5,8 million to be exact — and the 49ers get a solid center to replace Daniel Kilgore. Zuttah has started 117 games in his nine-year career and earned an 82.7 PFF grade last season, ranking 13th among centers.
It’s worth keeping age in mind here that Zuttah is 30 years old. But in the short-term, he can certainly help San Francisco. If the team plans to go ahead with Brian Hoyer and/or Matt Barkley under center, then the offensive line should be a priority as neither quarterback will do well under pressure.
As for the Ravens, it’s tough to break down what this means for them until we see how they allocate the $5.8 million in savings. But with Zuttah gone, they now have to address the center position in addition to losing right tackle Rick Wagner. With slim pickings left on the free agent market, one would think that Baltimore will be doing so via the draft.