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Report: Ravens talked to Vikings about Adam Thielen during Yannick Ngakoue trade

By Mike DePrisco

Report: Ravens talked about Thielen during Ngakoue trade originally appeared on NBC Sports Washington

The Ravens addressed one of their biggest needs by acquiring Yannick Ngakoue from the Vikings to bolster their pass rush. But as the NFL Trade Deadline rapidly approaches, they may not be done building the roster for the second half of the season. 

According to CBS Sports’ Jason La Canfora, Baltimore kicked the tires on two of Minnesota’s receiving threats during the Ngakoue trade talks. 

“When they did the Ngakoue deal, they were talking about Adam Thielen, they were sniffing around on Irv Smith, their young tight end,” La Canfora told The Sports Junkies Thursday. “They couldn’t come to any sort of agreement there on value, but I wouldn’t be surprised in the least if they added a pass-catching tight end or wide receiver.”

If a pass-rusher was the Ravens’ primary need before the deadline, giving Lamar Jackson another weapon on the outside would be a close second.

Outside of Marquise Brown and Mark Andrews, the Ravens haven’t been able to get consistent production from their pass-catchers over the last two seasons. So when the Ravens can’t dominate the game on the ground, their offense struggles as we saw in the playoffs against the Titans and this season against the Chiefs. 

Adding Thielen, who was a 1,000-yard receiver for two straight seasons before getting hurt last year, would certainly give Jackson some consistency at the receiver position. There’s also the fact that Thielen primarily works in the middle of the field, which is where Jackson has been most comfortable passing the ball early in his career. But, as La Canfora noted, those talks didn’t get anywhere.

The Ravens have limited cap space to make a move of consequence without giving up a decent chunk of salary in return or restructuring one of their current players’ deals. However, there are still plenty of receivers out there on teams expected to be sellers and games this week will further cement teams’ decision-making process at the deadline. 

If the Ravens aren’t in fact finished making moves, there’s still plenty of time. 

Madden 23 ratings: Which players got the biggest snubs?

By Max Molski
Madden 23 ratings: Which players got the biggest snubs? originally appeared on NBC Sports WashingtonMadden Ratings Performance Adjustor seems like a pretty sweet gig: stand on the sideline, get a great view of an NFL game and break down players’ skills. Just because the career appears fun, doesn’t mean it’s perfect. The work they produce most certainly isn’t.EA Sports released its “Madden NFL 23” ratings this week, giving its assessment of 2,368 players. Within that group, there were sure to be some head-scratching evaluations. Some of those should have been more obvious to the team at EA, but that’s what we’re here for.Here are eight of the most egregious rating snubs for “Madden NFL 23”:Patrick Mahomes, Kansas City Chiefs/Josh Allen, Buffalo BillsDid EA forget to send someone to the AFC divisional round showdown between the Kansas City Chiefs and Buffalo Bills? GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium was the site for perhaps the greatest playoff game in NFL history on Jan. 23, and it put two of the league’s best quarterbacks in the spotlight.Patrick Mahomes and Josh Allen combined for eight touchdowns as the Chiefs pulled out an unforgettable 42-36 victory in overtime. Mahomes and Co. lost to the Cincinnati Bengals in the AFC title game, falling short of a third straight Super Bowl appearance.Mahomes’ reward for the season? A fall from the Madden 99 Club all the way to a 95 rating. He’s the third-best quarterback in the upcoming video game, trailing Tom Brady (97) and Aaron Rodgers (96). The order of players can be justified, but something isn’t right with a player featuring Mahomes’ skillset settling for a 95, coming off another great year.The same goes for Mahomes’ divisional round counterpart. Allen is justly slotted as the fourth-best QB, but he has a 92 rating. He played well above that number in the playoffs, shredding the New England Patriots in the wild card round before going toe-to-toe with Mahomes. Toss in Allen’s running prowess, and he is seemingly an unstoppable video game QB. Antonio Gibson, Washington CommandersAntonio Gibson finished in a tie for sixth in the NFL with 1,037 rushing yards in 2021. He also had 294 receiving yards and 10 total touchdowns on the season, giving him 21 in his two-year career. Despite his overall production, the Washington Commanders running back enters the season with an 80 overall rating in “Madden NFL 23,” the same number as A.J. Dillon, D’Andre Swift and Elijah Mitchell. Gibson does have a major pitfall. He had five lost fumbles in 2021, two more than any other running back in the NFL. Madden handed him an 80 carrying rating for that, placing him in a tie for 153rd out of 166 running backs in the game. Should he improve his ball security, look for Gibson’s Madden rating to rise.For now, if you’re playing with him in the game, it might be best to give him the ball close to the sideline so you can get him out of bounds.Ja’Marr Chase, Cincinnati Bengals/Deebo Samuel, San Francisco 49ersWhen it comes to receivers, the Madden team dropped the ball on Ja’Marr Chase and Deebo Samuel.Chase put together one of the most memorable rookie seasons in recent memory, piling up 1,455 receiving yards and 13 touchdowns on 81 receptions. He also helped bring the Bengals to the Super Bowl. Let me repeat that: he helped bring the Bengals to the Super Bowl.For all that work, he was given the same rating (87) as Brandin Cooks and A.J. Brown.Samuel got slightly more respect with his rating, but it doesn’t seem like a fair assessment considering how dynamic he was in 2021, as an all-around weapon with the San Francisco 49ers. His 89 rating puts him on level with D.K. Metcalf and Chris Godwin. That isn’t terrible company, but with Michael Thomas, Tyler Lockett and Amari Cooper earning 90s, Samuel certainly can have a bone to pick. It doesn’t appear Samuel is too concerned, though:Maxx Crosby, Las Vegas RaidersMaxx Crosby played out of his mind in 2021. He reached his first Pro Bowl after compiling eight sacks, 56 tackles and 30 QB hits (tied for fourth in the NFL).Instead of receiving a “great” rating, Madden saw him closer to “good.” Crosby missed out on the top 10 of overall edge rushers with an 87, the same number as Matthew Judon.Patrick Surtain II, Denver BroncosMicah Parsons was far and away the best rookie defensive player in the NFL last season, but don’t let that take away from what Patrick Surtain II did in his first year with the Broncos. The first-year cornerback registered four interceptions as part of a solid secondary in Denver. Those four picks ranked second on the team, and his 58 tackles were third on the team. He was also disruptive without creating a turnover, leading the Broncos with 14 passes defended.Surtain’s 83 rating places him in a tie for 20th among all cornerbacks. While that’s good enough to be a CB1 on an NFL team, this could be the lowest Surtain’s Madden rating gets for a while.Justin Tucker, Baltimore RavensTo summarize Justin Tucker’s Madden rating, let’s turn to a conversation between Patrick Star and Man Ray:Tucker: I have a 99 kick power rating, right?Madden: Yep.Tucker: And I have a 99 kick accuracy rating, right?Madden: Indeed.Tucker: So I, a kicker, am a 99 overall, right?Madden: No, you’re a 90.Make it make sense.
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