In 1996, the Baltimore Ravens came into NFL existence. And they quickly earned a spot among the league’s best teams. Their franchise cornerstone player went out in a blaze of glory in their last Super Bowl year, and this season they grabbed a big-name running back to make another title charge. You probably know who that cornerstone is, but how do the rest of the top 10 Ravens of all-time rank?
The Ravens came to life when Cleveland Browns owner Art Modell decided to relocate his historic franchise. Subsequently, he reached a deal with the city of Baltimore to move his team. As part of the agreement, Cleveland kept the Browns’ name, history, and colors for a future replacement team — which occurred in 1999.
The newly named Ravens — which is taken from the famous poem by Baltimore native Edgar Allan Poe — received a classification from the NFL as an expansion team. They struck gold in their first NFL draft, grabbing a pair of Hall of Famers. And four years later, the Ravens earned their first Super Bowl title.
Since winning that championship in 2000, Baltimore has reached the playoffs 14 more times. The Ravens won their second Super Bowl in 2012, and reached the conference championship three other times.
Ravens safety Ed Reed ranks high on the list
Reed had a terrific 11-year run with the Ravens. People around the NFL considered him one of the most feared defensive backs in the league.
In a franchise loaded at the top end, Reed found his spot in the top three. Here's the way the top 10 played out.
10. PK Justin Tucker
Let’s get real for a moment. Being a place-kicker in the NFL is not the same as a guy who puts his body on the line, play after play after play. Then a dude trots onto the field with a few seconds remaining, kicks the ball with his foot, under the heaviest of protection by NFL rules, and gets called a hero. Really? How about the lineman who spent 60 game minutes getting beat all to pieces to set up the opportunity for that soft-shoe kick?
But, if a list includes a head coach, who also does none of the heavy lifting, it probably needs to include arguably the greatest kicker in NFL history. Tucker is an eight-time All-Pro selection. Yep, eight. He once kicked a 66-yard field goal. Crazy. Plus, he has made an NFL record for field-goal percentage at 90.2.
So, perhaps begrudgingly on the selector’s part, Tucker sneaks in at No. 10.
9. Coach John Harbaugh
Continuity tends to make a sturdy franchise, and Harbaugh has stood up against the test of time.
In 16 seasons, his career record of 160-99 tells a story of success. In 10 of those years, the Ravens reached double-digit victories. Certainly, consistency makes a difference and the Ravens have been perennial playoff threats — not just to get there but to make noise. However, they have fallen short a few times.
Still, Harbaugh has the crowning achievement of the 2012 Super Bowl title. His team overcame his brother’s team, the San Francisco 49ers, in a thrilling contest.
Former Ravens player Brendon Ayanbadejo (2008-12) told baltimoreravens.com why he appreciated his coach.
“I just think he knows how to make things work,” Ayanbadejo said. “He knows how to grind you hard enough where you turn into a diamond, and you're not so fragile that you crack or break.”
8. DT Haloti Ngata
A first-round pick in 2006, Ngata turned in an impressive nine-year run with the Ravens.
A starter on the defensive line from Day 1, the 6-4, 340-pounder made life tough for opponents running games. In his third season, he earned All-Pro honors. And he eventually turned it into five consecutive years before adding another Pro Bowl honor in 2013.
From 2008-11, Ngata earned praise as the best defensive lineman in the NFL. Former Ravens linebacker Jameel McClain told pressboxonline.com Ngata made a huge difference.
“It was so easy to have Haloti in front of you, because he just dominated the offensive line’s attention,” said McClain. “Not just the offensive line, but he dominated the offensive coordinator’s attention. You had to prepare for where he was and what he could do. If some (lineman) ever came up on me fast, I’d be like, ‘What happened to Haloti? Oh, he wasn’t in on that play.’ I mean, this guy was a freak of nature.”
7. RB Jamal Lewis
One season usually can’t get a guy on an all-time greats list, but Lewis’ work in 2003 surely helped more than most. He carried a staggering 387 times for 2,066 yards and 14 touchdowns. The yardage total ranks third on the all-time NFL single-season list.
Lewis earned AP offensive player of the year honors and finished fourth in the MVP voting.
Coming into the league on a high note, Lewis rushed for 1,364 yards as a rookie and finished second in the AP offensive rookie of the year voting. The Ravens won the Super Bowl that season, and Lewis set a record he still holds as the youngest-ever player in the big game.
He missed the 2001 season because of a knee injury, but bounced back for 1,327 yards in 2002. In his six seasons in Baltimore, he racked up 7,801 yards and 45 touchdowns.
Floyd Reese, who was general manager for the Ravens’ rival Tennessee Titans, told baltimoreravens.com that Lewis had it all.
“There's nobody in the league with a better combination of size, speed, and power,” said Reese. “He doesn't use a lot of moves, but he doesn't have to. I imagine he's broken more tackles than anyone in the league.”
6. G Marshal Yanda
Once Yanda found his groove, the 6-3, 305-pound bruiser kept it rolling. Drafted in the third round in 2007, Yanda made his first splash in 2011. He earned second-team All-Pro honors.
Over the next five years, he earned two first-team All-Pro spots, two second-team honors, and a Pro Bowl appearance. He came back in 2018 and 2019 with two more second-team All-Pro honors. All of those appearances put him in the conversation with all-time great guards like Randall McDaniel, Will Shields and Larry Allen.
In 2014, then-offensive coordinator Gary Kubiak said Yanda was as good as any offensive lineman he's been around. In 2015, coach John Harbaugh offered a prediction to espn.com.
“He's just a special human being and a special player,” Harbaugh said before adding, “and he's a Hall of Famer some day.”
Yanda started 166 games in his 13-year NFL career, all with the Ravens.
5. QB Lamar Jackson
There’s still time for Jackson to climb the ladder on the list. But it will likely have to come in the form of a Super Bowl title.
Baltimore took a chance on the dynamic dual-threat quarterback with the 32nd pick of the 2018 NFL Draft. It has paid off in the form of two AP MVP awards for Jackson along with another Pro Bowl selection.
What hasn’t happened is Jackson having a lot of postseason success, which limits him to the No. 5 spot on this list. Jackson is 2-4 in four postseason appearances. His completion percentage in those games is 57.4 and he has as many interceptions (six) as touchdown passes. However, his resume including a 3,127-yard, 36-touchdown performance — with only six interceptions — in 2019. His second MVP award came in 2023, when he threw for 3,678 yards with 24 touchdowns.
Jackson changed the organization with his ability to make defenses pay with his arm and his feet. He rushed for an NFL-record 1,206 yards in 2019. Then he came back in 2020 and rushed for 1,005 yards. He scored seven touchdowns in both of those seasons. In six years, he has amassed 5,258 yards on the ground with 29 scores.
Former teammate Marshal Yanda told baltimoreravens.com that Jackson is a cut above.
“I think it's his approach,” Yanda said. “He's said that he's just one of the guys, and I definitely feel that about him, as far as, he comes to work every single day, and football is No. 1 in his life. Some guys that come through, they like what the game gives them, but they don't necessarily like the game all the time. This kid loves ball. He loves football. He loves getting better. He's a competitive guy.”
4. LB Terrell Suggs
In some ways, Suggs lived behind the scenes. But he helped form a fearsome duo with Ray Lewis in the early part of the century.
A seven-time Pro Bowler, two-time All-Pro, and 2011 NFL Defensive Player of the Year, Suggs helped the Ravens win the 2012 Super Bowl. He played 16 seasons for the Ravens and amassed 855 tackles, 132.5 sacks, and forced 33 fumbles. He stands as the Ravens’ all-time leader in sacks.
His coach, John Harbaugh told pressboxonline.com that Suggs was very deserving of his 2023 induction into the Ravens Ring of Honor.
“[I] couldn’t be more happy for him,” Harbaugh said. “Nobody is more deserving. Obviously, that was a no-brainer, right? And what he meant to this organization and to our team and to our defense. … I’m just personally very grateful for Terrell Suggs and what he’s done for the Ravens.”
3. OL Jonathan Ogden
The 1996 draft played out well for the Ravens. They used their No. 4 overall pick on Jonathan Ogden, and then selected Ray Lewis at No. 26. Both players went on to Hall of Fame careers.
Ogden didn’t miss in his 12-year NFL career, all in Baltimore. He finished fifth in the AP offensive rookie of the year voting and then earned All-Pro or Pro Bowl honors every year of his career. Included in the mix were four first-team All-Pro honors.
The Ravens had the 6-9, 345-pound Ogden as their highest-rated player going into the 1996 draft. Offensive line coach Kirk Ferentz said he watched film of Ogden and told nytimes.com that the kid was different.
“I remember watching film and they ran that (counter) OT play,” Ferentz said. “I remember shutting the projector off. (And) I thought to myself: ‘What I just saw was a 6-8 guy, who looks like he’s 6-11, and 325, and he’s got the agility of a skill player. He pulled through there and hooked up on a safety 15 yards downfield. He did it effortlessly. I reminded myself, ‘This guy’s not normal.'”
2. Safety Ed Reed
For all of the good things Baltimore had up front on its terrific defenses, the Ravens would not have been the same without Reed on the back end. In 11 years with the Ravens from 2002-2012, Reed turned into an All-Pro fixture. He earned AP defensive player of the year honors in 2004 and had seven other seasons with All-Pro honors.
Reed became a pass-interception machine. He picked off nine balls in both 2004 and 2008 and totaled eight in 2010. He finished his career with 64 thefts and had seven returns for touchdowns.
Hall of Fame quarterback Drew Brees told nytimes.com Reed caused many problems.
“Ed Reed was one of those guys that you had to know where he was as a quarterback because he was such a ballhawk safety and had such great fielding instincts,” Brees said. “Balls that you could throw and fit in against everybody else, that just wasn’t going to happen against Ed Reed unless he was way out of the picture.”
Former Jets head coach Rex Ryan said there was no doubt about Reed’s place in NFL folklore.
“Ed Reed is the best safety in the history of the game,” Ryan said. “And I don’t think it’s close.”
1. LB Ray Lewis
Fourteen years into his NFL career, Lewis remained one of the league’s best. He earned the last of 10 All-Pro awards in 2010.
The incredible career also included two AP defensive player of the year honors, one in the Super Bowl year of 2000 and the other in 2003. Seven times in his 16-year career, he finished in the top six of the defensive player of the year voting.
Lewis racked up 184 tackles in his second NFL season, and it was a sign of things to come. Before he finished, he totaled an NFL-record 2,059 stops. Plus, he did more than tackle. His career included 41.5 sacks and 31 interceptions. Also, he earned two Super Bowl titles.
In 2022, Lewis was recognized by ESPN as the greatest linebacker in NFL history. John Harbaugh told baltimoreravens.com that Lewis set himself apart from all others.
“There’s never been a better leader,” Harbaugh said. “Sometimes you just turned it over to him. Turn it over to Ray and Ray takes care of it. He was a coach’s player first.
“I think Ray Lewis was the best linebacker that ever played. And it wasn’t just the on-field player. It was the whole package.”
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