Peter King of Sports Illustrated fame had an interesting bit in the "10 Things I Think" portion of his ever-intriguing "Monday Morning Quarterback" column on Monday concerning the Dallas Cowboys' left tackle position and the Baltimore Ravens' seeming willingness to part with LT Jared Gaither (per the Dallas Morning News).
Namely, he believes that a deal sending Gaither to Dallas for a second round pick would make sense for both parties. We'll spare the reader any paraphrasing and defer to King's own words:
"I think the trade that should happen is Baltimore signing left tackle Jared Gaither to an offer sheet and trading him to Dallas for a second-round pick. Am I sure the Ravens would do it? No, but I think it has a heck of a chance of passing muster, and I think Baltimore realizes it'd be a smart deal.
"This has little to do with Gaither's ability; he's a top-12 NFL left tackle, he's young (24), with 28 starts already on his resume. But the Ravens aren't going to pay two players franchise-tackle money. Michael Oher will be the one to get the big bucks after being picked in the first round a year ago.
"This deal would allow the Cowboys to get a much-needed, long-term left tackle, still use prospect Doug Free to compete with Marc Colombo at right tackle and eventually replace him permanently. Dallas would keep the 27th overall pick while filling a hole with the 59th, and Baltimore would get a third pick in the top 60 of a good draft to play with. Maybe it would allow the Ravens to move up a bit ... and get a player in a strong draft they wouldn't normally be able to get drafting so late in the round, like they did last year with Oher."
At 6-foot 9, and 340 pounds, acquiring Gaither would allow Dallas to replace "The Hotel" with an absolute monster. If the Ravens would part with the Maryland product for a second round pick is another question all together, though lately, it seems increasingly likely. Ken Murray, of the Baltimore Sun said of recently of the Ravens, "They have had enough of his half-baked work ethic."
Of course, this is a red flag of sorts. But for a second round pick--and considering Dallas's history of drafting offensive linemen--would you be willing to take a risk on "a top-12 NFL left tackle?"
Yours in the comments.