The Maxx Crosby situation was a complicated mess right from the start. After the Baltimore Ravens got ready to trade first-round picks for the first time in free agency, they agreed to part ways with two picks for the superstar edge rusher.
However, a mysterious failed physical right when free agency began saw the team back out of the deal and immediately sign Trey Hendrickson. For NFL veteran turned analyst Ryan Clark, the situation demands more communication from general manager Eric DeCosta.
Ravens GM Eric DeCosta Needs To Explain the Maxx Crosby Situation
The entire situation went into a tailspin right as free agency came around the corner. Before the legal tampering period, the deal was agreed upon, and it seemed like the Ravens had found a permanent fix for their defensive problems.
Two years in a row, the defense had had a slow start to the season before rallying back in the second half of the season. However, with a perennial All-Pro candidate like Crosby at the helm, Baltimore could hope for major changes.
But after he required surgery last season on his knee, the Ravens claimed that he had failed his physical. Immediately afterward, they signed Trey Hendrickson to a four-year contract, and the timing seemed far too suspicious.
Since then, a ton has been made about the exact nature of everything that went down in those few days. Now, Clark, who spent 13 seasons in the league as an undrafted free agent and even won a Super Bowl, did not fault their decision to go back on the trade.
“The Ravens, whether they made a decision because they could get Trey Hendrickson and keep the picks, whether it’s true they saw something on Maxx’s evaluation that made them hesitant to give up those two first-round picks, the Ravens did business as business is being done.”
Instead, his problem was with the way the franchise treated Crosby during the time that the trade was being finalized. As Crosby has detailed in interviews, there was a lack of direct conversation and professionalism on Baltimore’s part, including during his visit to their facility.
“When Maxx is in your care, he’s supposed to be taken care of in the way that he deserves and earns. He’s supposed to get facetime with the GM. Him and his family are supposed to be cared for, like, at least at this point, you’re a Raven. More importantly, he’s supposed to get transparency.”
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With regard to transparency, Clark believed the five-time Pro Bowler should have been informed about the issues that the Ravens found in his medical evaluation. Instead, there hasn’t been the same level of communication on that end.
For the time being, the team is going to proceed with Hendrickson as their main addition to the defense. After ranking at No. 18 on PFSN’s NFL Defense Impact Metrics last season, they have to be hoping to get things back on track with their new additions and a new head coach in Jesse Minter.
