Defensive linemen: Haloti Ngata, Brandon Williams, Michael Pierce
Haloti Ngata is going to find himself in the Pro Football Hall of Fame one day. Nose tackles usually go overlooked, but Ngata was special. Ngata went to five straight Pro Bowls (2009-2013) and earned All-Pro Praise from 2008-2012. Ngata recorded 27.5 sacks in his nine seasons with the Baltimore Ravens and is perhaps the best defensive lineman the franchise has ever had.
When it comes to tenured Ravens on the current roster, a small few have been around longer than Brandon Williams. Williams isn’t flashy, but he’s effective. Baltimore has seen time and time again how important he is to the team’s run defense. That’s why it paid so much money to make sure Williams never left. Williams has been a cornerstone of this Ravens defense since 2013 and he won’t be leaving anytime soon.
Michael Pierce departed this offseason for the Minnesota Vikings, but we won’t soon forget how good he was in his four seasons in Baltimore. After going undrafted in 2016 out of Samford, Pierce worked his way onto the 53-man roster and, eventually, a starting role before his rookie year was over. From there, Pierce exceeded expectations and became a key cog in the team’s defense. Business decisions were made that led to Pierce not getting resigned, but I’ll proudly rock his jersey on game days.