Ravens Offseason Report – Looking Back at the Best Players of All Time

As is the case at this time every year, Ravens GM Eric DeCosta and his player personnel staff are busy shaping the team’s roster including many under-the-radar moves like offering futures contracts to not-so-household names like Tykeem Doss, Tre Swilling, and Rayshad Nichols. The Ravens signed 19 players in January and February 2024 alone – proof that DeCosta’s staff is working hard behind the scene.

The number of signings got us thinking: who were the Ravens’ best signings of all time? What did these players achieve? With that in mind, we wrote a small article about the best athletes to play for the Baltimore Ravens since its inception in 1996.

Ray Lewis

You can’t talk about the Ravens without mentioning Ray Lewis, the team’s most decorated player. The middle linebacker won two AP Defensive Player of the Year awards, one of only five players in the sport’s history to claim the coveted title.

Lewis’s career on the Ravens spanned over 17 years – from 1996 to 2012. The statistics speak for themselves: 2,050 total tackles (1,558 solo and 492 assisted) and 41.5 sacks in 228 games played.

Jonathan Ogden

Jonathan Ogden is a legendary player known for being the Ravens’ first draft pick before the team’s first season in 1996. On top of being part of the NFL Team of the Decade in the 2000s, Ogden was the first of the Ravens to join the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Between 1996 and 2007, Jonathan Ogden played 176 games for the Ravens. Sports betting Ontario enthusiasts will also remember him saying, “Toronto would be a really good spot for an NFL team”.

Ed Reed

Ed Reed is the team’s most successful safety of all time. Throughout his 11 seasons with the Ravens, Reed won the AP Defensive Player of the Year award in 2004 and helped the team win their second Super Bowl win in 2012.

Reed’s career with the Ravens has resulted in various records, including most interceptions (61) and most passes defended (135). In addition, he had the most interceptions in the NFL in 2004, 2008, and 2010.

Joe Flacco

Joe Flacco is probably the most recognizable quarterback to ever play for the Ravens. He

was the team’s second player to win a Super Bowl MVP award, after Ray Lewis. Like Reed, Flacco was also part of the team that won Super Bowl XLVII.

During his career, the quarterback had 4,004 completions in 6,503 attempts (61.6%) and an average of 233.7 passing yards per game. In 2018, Flacco was relegated after the team drafted Lamar Jackson, our next pick.

Lamar Jackson

We like to think of Lamar Jackson as a wildcard. Although the quarterback hasn’t reached the status of other Ravens all-time athletes on this list, Jackson is currently the roster’s most important player. This is backed by his NFL Most Valuable Player award in the 2023 season.

Lamar Jackson’s career with the Ravens is spectacular. The player has 1,362 completions in 2,112 attempts (64.5%) and 125 touchdowns in 86 games. In 2023, he had an average of 229.9 passing yards per game.

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