![\"Maxx](\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/GettyImages-1787221827-e1775613959249.jpg\")
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\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tGetty\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n
The Baltimore Ravens are urged to fix their Maxx Crosby mistake by making a trade with the New York Giants.<\/p>\n
They wanted a dominant double act along their defensive line, but the Baltimore Ravens<\/a> changing their minds about trading for Maxx Crosby<\/a> robbed fellow elite edge-rusher Trey Hendrickson<\/a> of an ideal sidekick. Fortunately, general manager Eric DeCosta can still pair Hendrickson with a fellow multiple Pro Bowler, thanks to a developing situation involving the New York Giants<\/a>.<\/p>\n Former Ravens head coach John Harbaugh is facing his first major difficulty since taking over Big Blue, after All-Pro nose tackle Dexter Lawrence II<\/a> made a request to be traded<\/a>. The three-time Pro Bowler is arguably the most dynamic player at his position in the NFL<\/a>, but the Giants have good reasons to consider trading<\/a> Lawrence, and the Ravens represent a good fit.<\/p>\n That\u2019s according to NFL.com Senior News Writer Kevin Patra<\/a>. He pointed out \u201cthe Baltimore brass insisted they had eyes on pairing Trey Hendrickson with Maxx Crosby before nixing the trade with Las Vegas. Trading for Lawrence would give them another pass-rush force to play with under new HC Jesse Minter.\u201d<\/p>\n Bolstering a pass rush that logged a mere 30 sacks in 2025 remains atop the to-do list for Minter and new defensive coordinator Anthony Weaver. Patra noted how \u201ca duo of Hendrickson and Lawrence would make the Ravens\u2019 front exponentially more menacing. Lawrence\u2019s ability to get into the backfield would also allow Minter to get pressure without sending extra rushers. Baltimore has a trove of draft picks (11) to toss at the Giants<\/a>, and has the salary-cap space to make the trade work. The uncertain future of Nnamdi Madubuike<\/a> could also incentivize the Ravens to make a big move to solidify the middle.\u201d<\/p>\n There are several compelling implications from Patra\u2019s scenario. Not the least of which is how Lawrence and Hendrickson can form a better double act than the latter and Crosby.<\/p>\n Dexter Lawrence a Worthy Alternative to Maxx Crosby<\/p>\n DeCosta called off the Crosby deal<\/a> with the Las Vegas Raiders<\/a> over perceived medical issues, before signing Hendrickson<\/a>. Only, the GM originally had designs on putting Crosby and Hendrickson as the bookends of Baltimore\u2019s front seven, having \u201ctwo pass rushers on the defensive line on both sides of the line,\u201d per Ravens.com Editorial Director Ryan Mink<\/a>.<\/p>\n Hendrickson subsequently appeared to confirm DeCosta\u2019s ambitious plan. The ex-Cincinnati Bengals<\/a> pass-rusher told Terron Armstead<\/a> on \u201cThe Set\u201d podcast<\/a>, \u201cI was looking forward to rushing with him. Like what an incredible opportunity that would have been to have a bookends like that terrorizing quarterbacks, getting running backs to the ground. That\u2019s what got me excited.\u201d<\/p>\n Pivoting from Crosby to Lawrence would also excite Hendrickson about how dominant he can be in a Ravens uniform. Especially since Lawrence is the most explosive pass-rusher from the nose tackle spot in all of football.<\/p>\n A staggering statistic from Warren Sharp of Sharp Football Analysis<\/a> shows Lawrence has generated 108 pressures from playing over the ball since 2022. That\u2019s 76 more than the next-most active nose guard.<\/p>\n pressures when aligned at nose tackle, since 2022:<\/p>\n 108 \u2013 Dexter Lawrence Having Lawrence cause havoc in the middle and draw double teams would take blockers away from Hendrickson. That\u2019s a winning formula for a four-time Pro Bowl edge menace with 81 regular season sacks to his credit.<\/p>\n DeCosta wouldn\u2019t worry about the cost of this formula when he was willing to make franchise history<\/a> by parting with two first-round draft picks for Crosby. A similar trade haul would surely land Lawrence, and making room for the 28-year-old would also solve the need to put some more beef at the heart of Baltimore\u2019s defensive front.<\/p>\n Ravens Already Exploring Defensive Tackle Help<\/p>\n The team is actively looking at ways to improve the D-tackle rotation, notably by hosting a former Hendrickson teammate<\/a>. While the plan appears to be to wait until after<\/a> the 2026 NFL draft to wrap up any deal, the veteran mauler in DeCosta\u2019s sights is more run-stuffer than true pocket-collapsing force.<\/p>\n Putting heat<\/a> on quarterbacks from the inside for the Ravens was the remit of All-Pro Madubuike, but his career-threatening neck injury has created uncertainty<\/a>. There is optimism No. 98 will return<\/a> this year, but even if he does, Madubuike may not make the same impact he made pre-injury.<\/p>\n Even at this best, Madubuike wasn\u2019t as disruptive as peak Lawrence. Nor is Travis Jones<\/a>, although either could form a formidable double act with the linchpin of the Giants\u2019 defense, if not as destructive as a Hendrickson and Lawrence partnership.<\/p>\n \n\t\t\tJames Dudko<\/a> covers the New York Giants, Washington Commanders, New England Patriots and Baltimore Ravens for Heavy.com. He has covered the NFL and world soccer since 2011, with bylines at FanSided, Prime Time Sports Talk and Bleacher Report before joining Heavy in 2021. More about James Dudko<\/a>\t\t<\/p>\n \n\t\t\tMore Heavy on Ravens\n\t\t<\/p>\n \n\t\t\t\tLoading more stories\n\t\t<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Getty The Baltimore Ravens are urged to fix their Maxx Crosby mistake by making a trade with the…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":860103,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[2067],"tags":[7,519,1917,56,2321,2469,6],"class_list":{"0":"post-860102","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-new-york-giants","8":"tag-football","9":"tag-giants","10":"tag-new-york","11":"tag-new-york-giants","12":"tag-newyork","13":"tag-newyorkgiants","14":"tag-nfl"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nfl\/116366816006731419","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/860102","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=860102"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/860102\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/860103"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=860102"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=860102"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=860102"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
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