The Pro Football Hall of Fame could be seeing a lot more current and former Baltimore Ravens joining the ranks within the next few years.
Watching Ray Lewis enter the Hall of Fame brought tears to the eyes of every Ravens fan across the world. As much as we seem to bicker with one-another over silly things like Joe Flacco or the offense in general, we united together on Saturday August 4, 2018 to see the greatest Baltimore Raven of all-time become enshrined forever as one of the greats.
Ravens fans have actually been spoiled with greatness, as the only other Baltimore Raven to be inducted into the Hall of Fame thus far, Jonathan Ogden, was a first-ballot inductee, just like Lewis. As a fan, to say that your team is two-for-two on Hall of Famers to get elected in first-ballot has to be tops in the “bragging rights” category.
Meanwhile, the future looks promising for more future Hall of Famers in Baltimore. Safety Ed Reed is eligible for the first time after this year, and he looks like a lock to also be a first-ballot inductee. It goes further than the “Ball Hawk,” however.
The Ravens have seen players come-and-go through the organization who could one day step foot into the halls of Canton, Ohio. Even now there are current Ravens who look to be headed into the right direction towards the hall. Yes indeed, it is good to be a Ravens fan.
Who can we look forward to celebrating their enshrinement into the Pro Football Hall of Fame one day? Three names are clear front-runners among the rest, but we have to pay homage to quite a few players who either will have to wait because of positional value, or are simply too young to have a filled out a complete Hall of Fame resume.
There were tons of great options to choose from, so I settled on six honorable mentions to join the top three. With that being said, let’s jump right into this:
Honorable mentions pt.1:
*The following players should be Pro Football Hall of Fame inductees one day, but may not be remembered as Baltimore Ravens when looking back at their careers*
Steve Smith, Sr.
It speaks volumes to Steve Smith, Sr. as an individual that he is so beloved by the Ravens fan base despite just three seasons spent with the team. Smith, Sr. was often regarded as the epitome of what it meant to “Play like a Raven.” He brought his A-game on every down and had an edge that is unique throughout NFL history. His numbers absolutely warrant an early induction into Canton, with nearly 15,000 career receiving yards and 1,031 receptions. If not for the Hall of Fame being so stubborn on inducting wide receivers into Canton, Smith, Sr. would assuredly be a lock. While he should find himself into the halls eventually, perhaps it won’t be as fast as the rest.
Anquan Boldin
Anquan Boldin is such a similar case study to Steve Smith, Sr. that it’s actually kind of scary. You can copy and paste what was said above here for Boldin. Boldin reeled in 1,071 receptions for close to 14,000 receiving yards while wearing the persona of being the ultimate possession receiver on his sleeve. Boldin is forever loved for his incredible 2012 post-season performance and had it not been for a ridiculously stupid trade following the team’s Super Bowl XLVII title, he could’ve remained with the Ravens for a long-time and even retired as a Raven.
Eric Weddle
Eric Weddle is still balling for the Ravens defense, but if he retired today he has a legitimate case for a Hall of Fame induction. Weddle has over 1,000 career tackles and 29 interceptions to his name and has been an unsung hero throughout the league since being drafted back in 2007. At 33-years old, Weddle is probably considered “over-the-hill,” but he still has a few years left in him to pad some stats and maybe get a ring on his finger. Going into his third season with the Ravens, a Super Bowl title and a couple more seasons (and Pro Bowl nods) in Baltimore could help cement his legacy as a Ravens great.
Honorable mentions pt.2:
Haloti Ngata
Nose tackles are people, too! Defensive linemen have a hard time getting into the Hall of Fame because of so much discussion over what stats make a good resume for induction. If we just separated nose tackles from defensive tackles this wouldn’t be a problem. Rant aside, Haloti Ngata is one of the greatest nose tackles of all-time, hands down. What Ngata was able to do as a gap-eating, pressure producing big-man is unheard of. You can stack up Ngata’s numbers to another nose tackle who is considered a Hall of Famer, Vince Wilfork, and give the edge to Ngata in nearly every category. Unfortunately, Ngata will likely have trouble getting his bust in Canton, but he is more than deserving.
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Justin Tucker
The most accurate kicker of all-time, Justin Tucker may still have a long road ahead of him thanks to the position he plays, but he’s on the right track. With a Super Bowl title to his name and a couple First-Team All-Pro nods, Tucker is definitely fairing towards G.O.A.T. status. Tucker has never missed an extra point in his career and holds the NFL record for longest field goal made in an indoor stadium at 61-yards. As long as Tucker plays for a long time, he should get into Canton one day, maybe as the greatest to ever kick a pigskin.
C.J. Mosley
Half-man. Half-amazing. C.J. Mosley will probably live forever in the shadow of Ray Lewis as a great inside linebacker for the Baltimore Ravens, but my goodness is he still a tremendous player. In just four seasons in the league, Mosley is already a 3x Pro Bowl and Second-Team All-Pro selection with nearly 500 career tackles and eight sacks and interceptions. Regarded as one of the top linebackers in the league, Mosley does the dirty work that sometimes goes unappreciated. A quiet leader, Mosley is the golden boy for the saying, “Speak softly and carry a big stick.” Mosley is trending towards the Hall of Fame and still has so much youth left in him to leave a large mark on the team as an all-time great Raven.
Marshal Yanda:
So long as Marshal Yanda returns to form following his broken ankle that cost him the majority of his 2017 season, there’s no reason to doubt that Yanda will find himself in the Pro Football Hall of Fame one day.
Already regarded as one of the best offensive guards of the last decade, Yanda was perhaps on his way to bragging rights as one of the best to ever play in the NFL. Sure, Yanda seems to be a step below legends like Gene Upshaw and Larry Allen, but Yanda can hang toe-to-toe with guys like Steve Hutchinson and Alan Faneca. Yanda isn’t going to be remembered as some smash-mouth, trash-talking offensive guard, but rather a soft-spoken, “let my play do the talking for me” kind of player.
Yanda, a 6x Pro Bowl selection, has been as steady as they come on the offensive line. Even in an era where dominant linemen such as Joe Thomas played, Yanda still slid his way into the conversation as the best offensive linemen throughout the entire league, regardless of position. Yanda has been so good, in fact, that the Ravens have let other top tier offensive linemen walk if it meant holding on to Yanda.
Guys like Ben Grubbs and Kelechi Osemele found success outside Baltimore, but Marshal Yanda still has a step on both of them. When it comes down to it, Marshal Yanda is assuredly a Hall of Fame talent who will eventually become immortalized in NFL lore as one of the greats.
Terrell Suggs:
Terrell Suggs seems like a virtual lock for the Hall of Fame at this point in his career. The man known as “T-Sizzle” has 125.5 career sacks and 34 forced fumbles. Also on the former Arizona State University Sun Devil’s resume is both a Defensive Rookie and Defensive Player of the Year award. If that doesn’t do it for you, maybe a Super Bowl ring helps push him over the top.
Suggs is also a 7x Pro Bowl selection and ranks 17th all-time on the sack list, and could easily cross into the top 10 if he plays another year-or-two. Suggs definitely has the hardware and the stat sheet to justify a Hall of Fame selection, but that doesn’t do justice to the kind of player that Suggs truly is.
Terrell Suggs is the heart-and-soul of the Ravens defense currently. After Ray Lewis and Ed Reed left Baltimore, it fell upon Suggs to take on the mantle of being Baltimore’s leader on defense. He took the torch and ran with it. If Suggs wasn’t regarded as a Ravens all-time legend before Lewis and Reed left, he sure as hell is one now.
Since joining the league way back in 2003, Terrell Suggs has been one of the most feared pass rushers to ever play. His passion and tenacity separate him from a lot of other great pass rushers of the 2000s and 2010s. When it’s all said and done, Terrell Suggs is not only a Hall of Famer, but perhaps could even find himself in the halls of Canton as a first-ballot inductee.
Ed Reed:
Arguably the greatest safety to ever play the game, Ed Reed is a slam-dunk as a first-ballot Pro Football Hall of Fame inductee.
The former University of Miami Florida Hurricane recorded 61 interceptions with the Ravens throughout his 11-year stint in Baltimore. Reed’s 64 career interceptions places him as the NFL’s seventh all-time leader in the category. Reed is also a proud owner of a Defensive Player of the Year award with nine Pro Bowl nods, plus five First-Team and three Second-Team All-Pro selections.
Anyone who watched Reed play knew how great he was as a safety, but there is one thing that has, and always will, separate Reed from any other safety to ever play the game: play-making ability. Reed has 13 career non-offensive touchdowns to his name, which includes the two longest interception returns for touchdowns in NFL history, including this marvelous 108-yard pick-six against the Philadelphia Eagles.
When the ball was in Reed’s hands, you knew he was going to find a way to do something special with it. Reed was also a punishing hitter, an underrated aspect of his game, and he wasn’t afraid to set the tone and put the fear of God into you when you ran a route down the middle of the field. Simply put, Ed Reed is the epitome of what it means to be the greatest player at his position.
Without a doubt, Ed Reed is as sure of a lock as you’ll find with NFL Hall of Fame candidacy. Similar to how Ray Lewis and Jonathan Ogden were first-ballot inductees because they are argued the greatest to ever play their position, the same will happen when Ed Reed is voted in following the 2018 NFL season. The Ravens have had many great players who shall one day be enshrined in Canton, Ohio, but Ed Reed is by far the next great to be inducted as soon as possible.