Baltimore Ravens: Top 15 free agent signings of all-time

Longevity is the biggest reason Kelly Gregg is on the list. He was drafted by the Cincinnati Bengals in 1999. He ended up playing for the Philadelphia Eagles when it didn’t pan out with the Bengals.

Then by 2000, he was signed by the Ravens. Gregg became a starter at the nose guard position in 2002 and he was there until 2010. He came to Baltimore looking to get his career kickstarted and he found a long term NFL home. While he wasn’t a player who had a lot of statistics, he was one of the most important parts of the defensive dominance the Ravens had in that decade.

He was good for one to three sacks a season and totaled 20.5 career sacks. What he really contributed was anchoring the defense and clogging up the middle rushing lanes. He was a former wrestler at Oklahoma and he knew how to win the battle in the trenches.

Gregg was an immovable human being. He stood his ground. When the Ravens switched to a 3-4 defense, Ray Lewis depended on Gregg to keep blockers off him. Gregg was the leader of some very impressive defensive lines.

Gregg was one of the most underrated and most under-credited players in Ravens history. His nickname was “Buddy Lee” and he was always one of the best teammates in the locker room. Gregg wasn’t a superstar, but he was a key cog in the machine. If he wasn’t there, things wouldn’t have operated the same way.