Marcus Peters: Rams CB Reportedly Traded to Ravens

The Baltimore Ravens are viewed as a team that could win the AFC North and make a deep run in the postseason. Tuesday afternoon, the John Harbaugh-led team made a move to bolster these chances. According to NFL insider Ian Rapoport, the Ravens have agreed to a trade with the Los Angeles Rams to acquire cornerback Marcus Peters.

Rapoport later revealed that Ravens linebacker Kenny Young will be heading to Southern California as part of this deal. It was initially reported that the deal was strictly player-for-player, but the Rams later confirmed that the trade had happened, along with the added detail that an undisclosed 2020 draft pick was involved.

After six weeks of NFL action, the Rams have now experienced considerable losses in the secondary. Cornerback Aqib Talib was placed on Injured Reserve Monday with a rib injury. Losing Peters via trade just adds further stress to the remaining members of the position group.

Now that Peters has been traded, the starting cornerback duo in LA will be Troy Hill and David Long, the latter of which has played zero snaps this season.

Originally a first-round pick by the Kansas City Chiefs back in 2015, the 26-year-old Peters is now on his third team since the end of the 2017 season. He was originally traded from KC to the Rams in February 2018 for a trio of picks, which included a 2018 fourth-round pick, a 2018 sixth-round pick, and a 2019 second-round pick.

This move followed three seasons in which Peters was viewed as one of the more consistent defensive backs in the entire NFL. He registered 19 interceptions during his three seasons with the Chiefs and was graded by Pro Football Focus as the 17th-best CB in the 2017 season with a score of 85.7. However, this score did not tell the entire tale considering that opposing quarterbacks only targeted Peters in coverage 72 times. Teams made a point to avoid him during games.

The reason that Peters was ultimately sent packing from the Chiefs was that he had been suspended by the team and had run-ins with the coaching staff. He was also penalized for throwing a referee’s flag into the crowd during a game against the New York Jets.

While there could be concerns that more issues with the coaching staff contributed to this trade, ESPN’s Field Yates has provided information that paints this deal in another light. With the trade, the Rams have cleared up more than $5 million in salary-cap space, which could be very useful as the trade deadline draws near.

In his lone full season with the Rams (2018), Peters was a mainstay on Wade Phillips’ defense, registering three interceptions, returning one for a 107-yard touchdown, and helping his team reach Super Bowl LIII. He started the 2019 campaign off in a similar manner, adding another two interceptions to his career resume and earning a grade of 76.6 from PFF. Peters also scored another defensive touchdown, this time against the Buccaneers.

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