Possessing one of the bigger hearts in Professional Football, Nose Tackle, Kelly Gregg scratched and clawed his way on the Baltimore Ravens roster after stints on the practice squad and the World League. Gregg may never have made a Pro Bowl, but he was a highly regarded Nose Tackle who earned the respect of his teammates and opponents alike.

We all know that it did not end well for Ray Rice in Baltimore (or in the NFL for that matter) but fact remains that he was one of the better Running Backs in the NFL for a four-year span and he earned all three of those Pro Bowl selections.

A two-time Pro Bowler, Adalius Thomas might just be the most versatile player in Baltimore Ravens history. Thomas, who was also a  one-time First Team All-Pro Selection was part of not just a special Ravens defense but was a member of a potent special teams attack early in his Ravens tenure.

Thomas recorded 38.5 Sacks for the Ravens.

The current Ravens all-time leader in Rushing Yards, Jamal Lewis played six seasons with the team where he exceeded the 1,000 Rushing Yard mark five times, one of which is 2003, saw him break 2,000 Yards. In that magical campaign, he was named the AP Offensive Player of the Year and was also the NFL Alumni Running Back of the Year.

For a few years, Chris McAlister was one of the most explosive Cornerbacks in the National Football League and also one of the most entertaining. A three-time Pro Bowler, McAlister led the NFL Interception Return Yards in 2000 and was a First Team All-Pro Selection in 2003. Sadly, he would become more famous or losing his money quickly.

A Raven for ten of his eleven seasons, McAlister recorded 26 Interceptions, and another three in the postseason.  He was also a large part of Baltimore's first Super Bowl win in 2000.

While he is sometimes considering a polarizing Quarterback, and there have been many who have debated as to whether he is elite or not, Joe Flacco did lead the Ravens to a Super Bowl win (where he was named the MVP) and has put up really good numbers while doing it. Flacco would play Quarterback for the Baltimore Ravens from 2008 to 2018 where he would play 163 Games with 212 Touchdown Passes with 38,245 Yards

A brilliant pass rusher, Peter Boulware was a key member of that legendary Ravens defense that won Super Bowl XXXV. The linebacker was named the AP Defensive Rookie of the Year in 1997 and would go on to four Pro Bowls. Had Bowulware not had shoulder issues, he might have been able to come up with a few more years on the gridiron.

WIth the Ravens, he had 70 Sacks, with three seasons exceeding ten.

While Marshal Yanda may always be the “second best Offensive Lineman” after Jonathan Ogden in Baltimore Ravens history, he has proven himself to be more than effective as an anchor on the front line.

The first ever draft pick of the Baltimore Ravens was one of the best first ever picks of any sport, and one that was debated within the fanbase as Offenisve Lineman were not generally taken so high. It was an excellent choice for the team and would become a long time anchor for the Ravens O-Line.

The third player in Baltimore Ravens history to win the AP Defensive Player of the Year, Terrell Suggs is the all-time franchise leader in Quarterback Sacks with 131.5 and in Forced Fumbles with 33. Suggs was also the Defensive Rookie of the Year (2003) and he would play for the Ravens for 16 seasons before signing with the Arizona Cardinals before the 2019 season.  The exceptionally versatile defender would be selected for seven Pro Bowls and was a key figure in the Ravens Super Bowl XLVII championship.  Suggs would leave Baltimore having played 229 Games and is one of the best defensive players in franchise history.

Suggs played for Baltimore for sixteen seasons (2003-18), and his 132.5 Sacks and 229 Games are the most in franchise history.  He is set to enter the Ravens Ring of Honor in 2022.

For a five-year period (2009-13_, Haloti Ngata was part of the elite group of Defensive Tackles. Ngata was a First Team All-Pro twice, a five-time Pro Bowl Selection and was known for his ability to adapt to multiple defensive schemes.  A Raven for his first nine seaons (2006-14), Ngati was a very big part of the Ravens second Super Bowl win and it is no accident that during his tenure in Baltimore they had one of the NFL’s better defenses.

Ngata had 25.5 Sacks and 447 Tackles for Baltimore and in 2021, he entered their Ring of Honor.

You can’t think of ballhawks in the 2000s without thinking of the name, Ed Reed. The cerebral Safety seems to know what the Quarterback was going to do before he did and it was no fluke that three times he would lead the National Football League in Interceptions.

Could it really be anyone else? The first ballot Pro Football Hall of Fame inductee did everything a fan could a Ravens fan could ask for. The charismatic Linebacker was on both Super Bowl Championship Teams and was named the MVP in his first one.

A fairly major retirement in the world of professional football will take place at the end of this season as Baltimore Ravens’ Wide Receiver, Steve Smith Sr., will hang up his cleats following this year’s campaign. 

Smith is entering his second (and final) season with Baltimore after spending the first thirteen seasons of his career with the Carolina Panthers.  Seven times, Smith eclipsed 1,000 Yards Receiving in a season and in 2005 he would lead the NFL in both Receptions and Yards Receiving.  A two time First Team All Pro, Steve Smith currently ranks 14th in Yards and a 800 Yard season would put him in the top ten, and improve his Hall of Fame probability, even in an era with inflated numbers for wideouts.

Is Steve Smith Sr. a Hall of Famer?  We’re not sure that he is, but another Pro Bowl season, or a deep playoff run by the Ravens could put him over the top.

Shannon Sharpe may be considered the best tight end of the 1990s, but a consensus number two would likely be Ben Coates.  Coincidentally, the two would wrap up their careers at the start of the new millennium as teammates for the Baltimore Ravens in winning Super Bowl XXXV.

One of the most respected men in Professional Football, the excellent-blocking and very cerebral Matt Birk would not just earn six Pro Bowl selections, he would also win the Ed Block Courage Award in 2006 and the prestigious Walter Payton Man of the Year in 2011. The year after receiving that award at the Super Bowl, he won the brass ring in his final season with the Baltimore Ravens thus going out as a champion.

Although Derrick Mason produced strong career statistics and had multiple seasons tabulating over 1,000 Receiving Yards, it is hard to make the strong case for Mason to receive a Hall of Fame induction. Mason would be the star receiver for both Tennessee and Baltimore, though he played in an era where the game opened up and there were stars that were perceived as superior at Wide Receiver. Only earning a trip to the Pro Bowl twice and one All-Pro Selection reflects that fact, though that was primarily from his Punt and Kick Returning. Still, that was the season (2000) in which he led the NFL in All-Purpose Yards.

It is a shame how Steve McNair’s tragic ending may overshadow what was a very productive (and one tackle away from a Super Bowl) career. Unfortunately, professional sports have far too many of these stories.