By Zac Jackson
Posted 9-1-2010
12:51 p.m.
Three quick thoughts for Wednesday afternoon...
1. The Ravens picking up CB Josh Wilson via trade with Seattle is a feel-good story. The Ravens clearly have a need at the position, he's a former Maryland star and still young enough that he could end up being a good player and a steal at the fifth-round price the Ravens paid to get him. But with so many teams searching for cornerbacks right now and the Seahawks not exactly overflowing with talent at any position, does it say something that they were willing to part with Wilson right now for just a fifth-rounder? Maybe they only want tall corners. Maybe he didn't mesh with the new coaching staff. But I'd call this a nice, low-risk pickup for Baltimore -- not a season-changing one.
2. It's clear the Browns are going to be scouring the waiver wire come Saturday for help at multiple positions, if they can find some. They shouldn't have to look far to see the Bengals have some very tough decisions to make at wide receiver. If Jerome Simpson gets cut and claimed, he'd instantly be the most athletic receiver on the Browns' roster. Now, there's a reason he might get cut, but he's worth a shot. Ditto for rookie Dez Briscoe, who was better than a sixth-round talent (teams had concerns about his maturity) in this year's draft and got further behind when he got to Cincinnati thanks to an early injury, T.O.'s arrival and Jordan Shipley's emergence. Both guys could help the Browns sooner rather than later, and maybe both sooner AND later.
3. Getting healthy remains both the topic du jour and priority in Baltimore. News that Terrence Cody had minor knee surgery means he's probably out at least for the opener against the Jets, and the Ravens face a big decision this weekend with All-Everything safety Ed Reed. The initial prognosis said that Reed might miss the first six games, and if the Ravens choose to place him on PUP this weekend he will. But there's also a thought that he's ahead of schedule and could be back soon, maybe even for Week One. My feeling is the Ravens should and will play it safe as they're planning on it being a long season, but their secondary certainly needs Reed in the mix if they're going to live up to their own lofty expectations.
