The Baltimore Ravens have the NFL’s second-ranked defense, partly because of a deal general manager Eric DeCosta agreed to about 24 hours before last year’s trade deadline. DeCosta traded 2023 second- and fifth-round picks and veteran linebacker A.J. Klein to the Chicago Bears for star middle linebacker Roquan Smith.

Smith has fit in perfectly, bolstering the middle of Baltimore’s defense with All-Pro-caliber play and quickly becoming a locker room leader. The Ravens signed Smith to a contract extension a little more than two months after the trade, further solidifying the deal as a home run for DeCosta.

For the Ravens, however, not all pre-deadline deals have worked out as well as Smith and the Marcus Peters trade in 2019.

They’ve made seven in-season trades in franchise history, and a majority of them were forgettable. The acquisitions of running back Ty Montgomery, wide receiver Chris Givens and cornerback Will Davis didn’t move the needle. Surprisingly, neither did acquiring outside linebacker Yannick Ngakoue from the Minnesota Vikings before the 2020 deadline. Ngakoue made minimal impact and never seemed to fit with Baltimore.

Trading for offensive tackle Eugene Monroe before the 2013 deadline worked in the short term. Yet, the extension the Ravens gave Monroe after the season became one of the more regrettable contracts in team history.

The past, though, probably won’t have much impact on DeCosta’s desire to augment a team that is 5-2 and seems to be hitting its stride. He loves to be in the mix when quality football players become available, and he’s been one of the more active general managers in making deals during his tenure.

DeCosta’s challenge is finding a deal that not only works within the team’s tight salary-cap situation — the Ravens are sitting on just $2.6 million of space, according to the NFL Players Association’s Salary Cap Report — but doesn’t bleed them of too much draft capital.

There’s also the matter of settling on a target. When the Ravens acquired Peters and Smith before previous deadlines, they didn’t necessarily fill their biggest positional needs at the time. Nonetheless, DeCosta decided that they were the most impactful players the Ravens could realistically get, and both would make the team better.

Will those efforts this year lead the Ravens to add a game-breaking running back after the season-ending Achilles injury to J.K. Dobbins? Could Baltimore possibly target another starting-caliber offensive lineman? Will the fact the Ravens lead the league in sacks prevent them from adding another pass rusher, or will DeCosta decide that you can never have enough?

Let’s break down potential trade targets for the Ravens into three categories. “Right player, right price?” are realistic trade targets who would make the most sense if the Ravens can make the compensation and financials work. The “Available, but enough of an upgrade?” category includes players who are speculated to be on the trade block but may not be much better than what the Ravens already have. And “Doesn’t hurt to dream” are players who either may not be available, would likely cost too much in trade compensation if they were or would require a lucrative contract extension that Baltimore would struggle to give out.

Right player, right price?

Denico Autry, DE, Titans

If the trade of standout safety Kevin Byard to Philadelphia on Monday is any indication, Tennessee is open for business. Autry, a pending free agent, should be a guy every team is asking about, including the Ravens. Baltimore loves versatile and physical defensive linemen. Autry can line up on the edge or inside, and he has a knack for getting to the quarterback. He has four sacks in six games this year and totaled 24.5 over the previous three seasons. He also probably won’t cost as much to acquire as guys such as Danielle Hunter and Brian Burns.

Derrick Henry, RB, Titans

It would be some story if Henry, a Ravens nemesis, wound up joining the team for its playoff push. Team officials have downplayed the need for an established No. 1 running back, but the thought of Henry lining up behind Lamar Jackson has to intrigue the Ravens and concern Baltimore opponents who would have to figure out a way to contain two of the league’s most dynamic players. Henry is a pending free agent and has a decent chunk of change left on his 2023 contract, but the Ravens could make it work if they were motivated to do so.

Danielle Hunter, edge, Vikings

The Ravens lead the league in sacks, and edge rushers Jadeveon Clowney, Kyle Van Noy and Odafe Oweh are playing well. David Ojabo is due back soon. Why pay what would be a significant price for another pass rusher? Well, imagine how dangerous the defense would be with another guy who demands attention and gets to the quarterback. Hunter, who is in a contract year, leads the league with nine sacks and would give the Ravens their own version of Myles Garrett, T.J. Watt or Trey Hendrickson. The Vikings improved to 3-4 by beating the San Francisco 49ers on Monday night and have a soft schedule for the next month and a half. They may not be sellers, but DeCosta should at least pick up the phone and find out.