Retirement created a sizeable hole at the heart of the defensive line for the Baltimore Ravens, but the franchise finally has a proven replacement for nose tackle Michael Pierce.
It’s 327-pounder John Jenkins, a veteran of six NFL teams who has accrued a ton of experience playing over centers. Jenkins and the Ravens agreed a one-year deal on Friday, May 16.
We’ve agreed to terms on a 1-year deal with NT John Jenkins!
The agreement makes the Ravens the latest stop on a winding pro journey for Jenkins. He’s become a journeyman after entering the league as a third-round pick by the New Orleans Saints in 2013, but Jenkins still has what it takes to solve an underrated problem in Baltimore.
Ravens Needed Help at Nose Tackle
General manager Eric DeCosta made adding another nose tackle one of his priorities after this year’s draft, per The Baltimore Banner’s Jonas Shaffer. DeCosta’s been as good as his word by acquiring Jenkins.
The latter has started 64 games across stints with the Saints, Seattle Seahawks, Chicago Bears, New York Giants, Miami Dolphins and Las Vegas Raiders. He started every game the last two years for the Silver and Black, proof Jenkins is a late bloomer at his level.
Jenkins is one-dimensional, but the Ravens won’t mind. Not when the 35-year-old is a natural run-stuffer able to muscle offensive linemen and clog inside rushing lanes.
Both of those things showed up for this run stop against the Los Angeles Chargers last season, highlighted by SleeperNFL analyst Chris Cooper.
This is the kind of play the Ravens relied on Pierce to make. Jenkins can assume the same role because of a physical profile different than a lot of names on the team’s defensive tackle depth chart.
John Jenkins Fits Niche Physical Profile for Ravens
Having a big man in the middle has long been a hallmark for the Ravens. It’s why DeCosta could’ve justified using top draft capital to replace Pierce.
Instead, the Ravens waited until the sixth round to select an interior defensive lineman. They chose Aeneas Peebles, who’s “known more for penetrating gaps and backfield disruption,” according to Ravens.com Editorial Director Ryan Mink.
Those qualities are similar to what Pro Bowler Nnamdi Madubuike and useful depth D-tackle Broderick Washington provide. What the Ravens were missing was cover for massive fourth-year nose guard Travis Jones.
The 6-foot-4, 338-pounder can be dominant, but he’s not the most consistent, and Jones could have his position threatened by an undefeated rookie free agent. Adding Jenkins has given the Ravens a proven commodity they can trust to quickly learn the playbook and be ready to go for work on early downs in Week 1.
Jenkins’ availability for a potential revenge game could be key after what the Buffalo Bills did to Baltimore’s defense in last season’s playoffs. The Bills piled up 147 yards on the ground to underpin a 27-25 victory at Highmark Stadium.
That number was an outlier for a unit stingy enough to allow a league-low 3.6 yards per carry during the 2024 regular season. Pierce was a big part of the Ravens bottling up running backs, so putting another big body into the mix next to Jones can preserve what’s been a franchise staple.
