
Michael Pierce
Pierce came in as a surprise on the defensive line. He went undrafted out of Samford, but quickly showed that he can play. As a rookie he appeared in all 16 of the Ravens games and finished with 35 tackles and two sacks. This offseason, he was set to be the successor to Brandon Williams if Williams left in free agency. Luckily, the Ravens were able to bring Williams back and now have a very good duo with those two anchoring the defensive line.
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Even with Brandon Williams back, Pierce is going to have an increased role. The Ravens need to continue the dominance on the defensive line that they had last year. Behind Pierce there is a lot of unproven talent. We have not been able to see what Willie Henry and Carl Davis can do. Chris Wormley comes in as a talented rookie, but will need some time to develop to the pace of the league. If the defense wants to continue another season of dominance against the run, they are going to need the production from Pierce once again.