Ebony Bird
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Baltimore Ravens All-Decade Team: Defense edition

By Chris Schisler

NEW ORLEANS, LA - FEBRUARY 03: Ed Reed #20 of the Baltimore Ravens holds up the Vince Lombardi Trophy following their 34-31 win against the San Francisco 49ers during Super Bowl XLVII at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome on February 3, 2013 in New Orleans, Louisiana. (Photo by Al Bello/Getty Images)
NEW ORLEANS, LA - FEBRUARY 03: Ed Reed #20 of the Baltimore Ravens holds up the Vince Lombardi Trophy following their 34-31 win against the San Francisco 49ers during Super Bowl XLVII at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome on February 3, 2013 in New Orleans, Louisiana. (Photo by Al Bello/Getty Images) /
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NEW ORLEANS, LA – FEBRUARY 03: Ray Lewis #52 of the Baltimore Ravens lines up on defense against the San Francisco 49ers during Super Bowl XLVII at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome on February 3, 2013 in New Orleans, Louisiana. The Ravens won 34-31. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)
NEW ORLEANS, LA – FEBRUARY 03: Ray Lewis #52 of the Baltimore Ravens lines up on defense against the San Francisco 49ers during Super Bowl XLVII at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome on February 3, 2013 in New Orleans, Louisiana. The Ravens won 34-31. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images) /

Inside Linebackers: Ray Lewis, C.J. Mosley, Daryl Smith

Ray Lewis was one of the greatest linebackers of all time and he has a statue dedicated to him outside M&T Bank Stadium. Lewis was the obvious choice at inside linebacker for this list. The Ravens went to the playoffs for the first three years of this decade and Lewis was a mentor and a leader to the team.

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When Lewis announced that he would retire at the end of the 2012 postseason, it created motivation that helped fuel a Super Bowl run. Lewis was there at the beginning of the Ravens’ history and he played well all the way until the end of his career.

C.J. Mosley was a player that Baltimore absolutely loved. He was taken in the first round of the 2014 NFL Draft, out of Alabama. Mosley earned a Pro Bowl appearance in his first season. He went to the Pro Bowl four out of the five years he was in Baltimore. Mosley was essentially good for 100 tackles or more a season and he was a quiet leader for the defense. He was different than Lewis though he got the job done. Mosley had the game winning interception against the Cleveland Browns in 2018, a play that clinched the Ravens 2018 AFC North division title.

Through the scope of Ravens history, Daryl Smith never gets enough credit. He was the linebacker that followed number 52. He immediately filled the void at the linebacker position with three straight seasons with over 100 tackles. He had eight sacks and five interceptions in his tenure with the Ravens. Smith was a great linebacker and he was a big part of a 2014 Ravens team that got a postseason win in Pittsburgh. Smith’s time with the Ravens should never be forgotten. It was arguably the best three years of his 13 season career.

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