The Cam Jurgens trade gives the Baltimore Ravens a way to stop the churn at center, where they have used four different players this season. On Wednesday, Baltimore acquired the two-time Pro Bowl center from the Philadelphia Eagles.
According to ESPN’s Jamison Hensley, Baltimore is sending a 2028 second-round pick and a 2027 fifth-round pick to Philadelphia. The Ravens get Jurgens and a 2027 seventh-rounder back.
A season of patchwork at center
The problem began in March, when Tyler Linderbaum signed with the Las Vegas Raiders. Since then, Baltimore’s backup plans have run into injury after injury. Danny Pinter’s season ended with a knee injury in a joint practice in late August. Jovaughn Gwyn started the first three games before a broken fibula in the 34-31 win in Rio, and Ethan Pocic left that same game with a knee injury. Gwyn is reportedly expected to be out two to three months.
That left rookie first-round pick Olaivavega Ioane, who was playing right guard, as the fourth center of the year. He is expected to start at Atlanta on Sunday night.
The Cam Jurgens trade: what Baltimore pays
Jurgens is 27 and signed through 2029, so this is not a short-term rental. General manager Eric DeCosta described him as a “scheme and cultural fit” and said the team has liked him since the draft process.
Our take: A second-round pick is a real cost, even with the seventh-rounder coming back. But Baltimore’s situation explains it. With its top three centers on injured reserve, the Ravens were not shopping for depth. They were trying to fix a position that had stopped functioning. A long contract at a premium position makes the price easier to justify.
The second benefit: Ioane back at guard
The deal also helps a second spot on the line. Once Jurgens is ready, Ioane can move back to guard, his natural position. If that happens, Baltimore would have a veteran in the middle and a first-round rookie back where he is most comfortable, rather than a rookie stretched across two positions.
The catch: Jurgens’ health
There is one open question. Jurgens is in concussion protocol after self-reporting symptoms following Philadelphia’s game against the Rams on Sunday. His return date has not been announced, so Ioane likely holds down center until Jurgens clears.
What comes next for Baltimore
The next test comes Sunday night at Atlanta, where Ioane is expected to make his second straight start at center. Jurgens cannot play until he clears concussion protocol, so the short-term picture does not change much. The bigger payoff comes later. Baltimore now has a center under contract through 2029, instead of leaning on a rookie at a position that is not his natural one.
The deal also marks a shift for the front office. It is the Ravens’ first major trade since they backed out of a March 10 agreement with the Raiders for edge rusher Maxx Crosby, a deal that included two first-round picks and was rescinded over medical concerns found in a physical. This time, Baltimore paid in a second-round pick and a fifth-rounder, and got a seventh back.
What it means in Philadelphia
For the Eagles, the trade comes a day after All-Pro right tackle Lane Johnson retired. Jurgens had moved from center to left guard in Week 2 after Landon Dickerson went on injured reserve, and he struggled at a position he had never played in the NFL. Philadelphia now turns to young interior linemen Drew Kendall, who has been at center for three weeks with mixed results, and Willie Lampkin, in line for his first NFL start Sunday against Jacksonville.
