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One of the biggest issues on the Jacksonville Jaguars defense is with their linebacker group, right up there with the issues at free safety. The team recently plucked Jeremiah George off the New York Jets practice squad, but Ryan O'Halloran of The Florida Times-Union had an interesting suggestion to get more talent on the roster.
Make a deal with the Ravens for 2013 second-round pick Arthur Brown, who the team clearly doesn't want to use and has been linked to trade rumors since the offseason.
"Second-year linebacker Arthur Brown has been a healthy scratch all four Ravens games and is probably miscast as a 3-4 inside linebacker (he's more of a 4-3 ‘Will' backer)," O'Halloran wrote in Monday's Times-Union. "The Jaguars have Geno Hayes at that spot, but Brown - whom the Jaguars were intrigued by before the 2013 draft - would add instant depth and eventually be a starter."
As Ryan O' mentions, Brown isn't really a fit for the Ravens defensive scheme. He's not near big or strong enough to be an inside linebacker in a 3-4 base scheme and would fit more as a traditional 4-3 weakside linebacker or even middle linebacker in the Jaguars scheme. Brown was someone who a lot of draft experts liked a lot entering the 2013 NFL Draft, but he just hasn't for whatever reason found his way into the Ravens lineup.
I asked Jason Butt of Baltimore Beatdown his take on Arthur Brown:
With Arthur Brown being a second-round player in the 2013 draft, much was expected out of him by this point. Along with the franchise itself, fans had high expectations that he'd be seeing a lot of playing time by now. But with the front seven excelling early on this year, it's clear where Brown stands. The value Baltimore thought it was getting in the second round hasn't panned out, which can be one reason why trade rumors have circulated. He's been a healthy scratch in each game, which may indicate a desire to keep him healthy so that the Ravens can get something in return. When you look at the situation at face value, and see other silver linings such as undrafted rookie Zach Orr being active on game days ahead of him, it's easy to see the Ravens don't have plans for Brown at this time, barring injuries to others at the position.
I'm not sure what it would cost to pry Brown from the Ravens, who clearly don't look like he's in their plans going forward considering they just gave former Jaguars linebacker Daryl Smith a new four-year deal, but I can't imagine it's all that much anyway.
The Ravens spent a second round pick on Brown in the 2013 NFL Draft, so one would think the Ravens are probably looking for a third round pick or so in return. If they're truly trying to get rid of him however, you can probably send over a conditional fourth-round pick or maybe something like a fifth-round pick and a seventh-round pick.
Pick for player trades are always weird, though.