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Will 'Skins go to Jared?
10:09AM ET
Jared Gaither | Ravens | Interested: Cardinals?, Raiders?, Bills?, Colts?, Redskins?
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Updating the Jared Gaither saga -- for some background, click here -- there was a report from Jason La Canfora of NFL.com this week that a trade could get done for the LT with just a high second-round pick coming back to the Ravens in return. As we know, Gaither was tendered at the first-round RFA level, so if a team signed him away with an offer sheet the Ravens didn't match, they'd send their first-round pick to Baltimore.
In essence, this now means that teams who were previously scared off because they picked so high in the first round are now back in the picture. Our speculation at the time was that the Redskins (No. 37 overall) could be in that cohort, and the Raiders (No. 39 overall, unless that pick is sent to Philly for Donovan McNabb) and Bills (No. 41 overall) are into the mix too.
In exchange for a late first-rounder or early second-rounder, Gaither is a great value, according to Football Scientist KC Joyner, and depending on what happens with the LT-needy teams in the first round, Gaither could be the big story of Day 2 of the draft, per ESPN NFL Insider Adam Schefter:
Adam Schefter
This could get interesting
"Baltimore has a surplus of tackles, and for the right price, it will deal Gaither. Washington is one of many teams that need tackles, and what happens in the first round of the draft could dictate where Gaither is dealt in the second round. The teams that need tackles, and don't get them in Round 1, could wind up dealing a pick in Round 2 to Baltimore to get Gaither. Washington would be one of the options, but there are others. And it'll be a story to follow on Day 2 of the draft."
KC Joyner
Gaither is near elite status
"Gaither has been a starter for the past two seasons and in that time his metrics have been nothing short of superb. He has allowed only seven total sacks in 27 games and only one of these was a one-on-one sack (defined as when a defender beats a blocker in a one-on-one environment and tackles the quarterback in the pocket within three seconds of the snap). That illustrates Gaither's dominant pass blocking skills, but his run blocking numbers are also quite notable. Gaither was at the Point of Attack (POA) on 300 running plays the past two years and he won his block 255 times, or 85 percent of the time. That is a solid number on its own, but his 2009 POA win rate of 89.0 percent is even more noteworthy. To put that total into perspective, consider that in a typical NFL season, a little less than one out of ten offensive linemen will crack the 90 percent POA win mark. Gaither was on the precipice of that mark last year despite battling injuries."
Hmmm
I really hope he stays tbh