The Baltimore Ravens clearly learned a lesson from their failed trade for Maxx Crosby which showed itself in their recent trade with the Philadelphia Eagles.
The Ravens have taken steps to secure their agreed-upon trade for Eagles center Cam Jurgens will not run into the same issues as their Crosby deal. According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, Baltimore sent two team doctors to Philadelphia to have Jurgens undergo a physical before the deal was completed to avoid any embarrassment.
Most trades in the NFL have agreed to a physical still pending. The Ravens traded for Crosby with the Las Vegas Raiders last offseason was one of them. Crosby ultimately failed Baltimore’s physical, meaning the high-profile trade was never actually completed, which made the Ravens look bad and left Crosby and the Raiders in an awkward spot.
It remains to be seen if other teams will copy this process. Failed physicals aren’t uncommon in the NFL, so it’s usually not an issue, but when it happens, it can really blow up in a team’s face.
The Ravens avoided blowing the trade, but they still took heat for what they gave up as part of the deal.