{"id":48876,"date":"2025-05-17T03:13:14","date_gmt":"2025-05-17T03:13:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?p=48876"},"modified":"2025-05-17T03:13:14","modified_gmt":"2025-05-17T03:13:14","slug":"ravens-sign-327-pound-replacement-for-michael-pierce-report","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?p=48876","title":{"rendered":"Ravens Sign 327-pound Replacement for Michael Pierce: Report"},"content":{"rendered":"<header class=\"l-article__header\"><\/header>\n<div class=\"l-article__meta\">\n<div class=\"l-article__meta-item l-article__meta-item--dates\">\n<ul class=\"c-meta c-meta--post c-meta--list c-meta--dates\">\n<li class=\"c-meta__item c-meta__item--updated\"><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"l-article__content\">\n<div class=\"c-content entry-content\">\n<div id=\"post-featured-container-id\">\n<div id=\"post-featured\" class=\"wp-caption \">\n<div class=\"h-responsive\">\n<figure class=\"h-responsive__inner\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"attachment-featured-image size-featured-image wp-post-image\" src=\"https:\/\/heavy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/GettyImages-1815812077-e1747447168493.jpg?quality=65&amp;strip=all&amp;w=780\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 820px) 95vw, 780px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/heavy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/GettyImages-1815812077-e1747447168493.jpg?quality=65&amp;strip=all&amp;w=780 780w, https:\/\/heavy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/GettyImages-1815812077-e1747447168493.jpg?quality=15&amp;strip=all&amp;w=1100 1100w, https:\/\/heavy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/GettyImages-1815812077-e1747447168493.jpg?quality=35&amp;strip=all&amp;w=1350 1350w\" alt=\"Michael Pierce\" width=\"780\" height=\"439\" data-dom-ready-time=\"561\" data-img-load-time=\"1031\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"wp-caption-text\"><span class=\"caption-credit\">Getty<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"c-post-image-caption-text\">The Baltimore Ravens dipped back into 2025 NFL free agency to replace Michael Pierce.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>Retirement created a sizeable hole at the heart of the defensive line for the\u00a0Baltimore Ravens, but the franchise finally has a proven replacement for nose tackle\u00a0Michael Pierce.<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s 327-pounder\u00a0John Jenkins, a veteran of six NFL teams who has accrued a ton of experience playing over centers. Jenkins and the Ravens\u00a0agreed a one-year deal\u00a0on Friday, May 16.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<div id=\"f7a4292f175bd6d61c4b9393b84d2cd3\" class=\"embed_container\">\n<div class=\"tweet-container\">\n<article class=\"tweet-container_article\">\n<div class=\"tweet-container_header tweet-verified-business\">\n<div class=\"tweet-header__author tweet-header__author--verified\">\n<div class=\"tweet-header__meta\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tweet-header-brand\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tweet-body\">\n<p>We\u2019ve agreed to terms on a 1-year deal with NT John Jenkins!<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tweet-media tweet-media--1\">\n<div class=\"tweet-media__container\"><a class=\"tweet-media__img\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/Ravens\/status\/1923532048246964440\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow external\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"visible\" draggable=\"true\" src=\"https:\/\/pbs.twimg.com\/media\/GrHCIpkXkAAFsjq.jpg?format=jpg&amp;name=small\" alt=\"Image\" data-lazy-load=\"\" data-src=\"https:\/\/pbs.twimg.com\/media\/GrHCIpkXkAAFsjq.jpg?format=jpg&amp;name=small\" \/><\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tweet-actions\"><\/div>\n<\/article>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>The agreement makes the Ravens the latest stop on a winding pro journey for Jenkins. He\u2019s become a journeyman after entering the league as a third-round pick by the\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/heavy.com\/sports\/nfl\/new-orleans-saints\/\" target=\"\" rel=\"noopener\">N<\/a>ew Orleans Saints\u00a0in 2013, but Jenkins still has what it takes to solve an underrated problem in Baltimore.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h2>Ravens Needed Help at Nose Tackle<\/h2>\n<p>General manager Eric DeCosta made adding another nose tackle one of his priorities after this year\u2019s draft, per\u00a0The Baltimore Banner\u2019s Jonas Shaffer. DeCosta\u2019s been as good as his word by acquiring Jenkins.<\/p>\n<p>The latter has started 64 games across stints with the Saints,\u00a0Seattle Seahawks,\u00a0Chicago Bears,\u00a0New York Giants,\u00a0Miami Dolphins\u00a0and\u00a0Las Vegas Raiders. He started every game the last two years for the Silver and Black, proof Jenkins is a late bloomer at his level.<\/p>\n<p>Jenkins is one-dimensional, but the Ravens won\u2019t mind. Not when the 35-year-old is a natural run-stuffer able to muscle offensive linemen and clog inside rushing lanes.<\/p>\n<p>Both of those things showed up for this run stop against the\u00a0Los Angeles Chargers\u00a0last season, highlighted by\u00a0SleeperNFL analyst Chris Cooper.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<div id=\"c9793fe0bc91c8d4db45cdf89721f4d6\" class=\"embed_container\">\n<div class=\"tweet-container\">\n<article class=\"tweet-container_article\">\n<div class=\"tweet-container_header \"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tweet-actions\"><\/div>\n<\/article>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>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\u2019s defensive tackle depth chart.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h2>John Jenkins Fits Niche Physical Profile for Ravens<\/h2>\n<p>Having a big man in the middle has long been a hallmark for the Ravens. It\u2019s why DeCosta could\u2019ve\u00a0justified using top draft capital\u00a0to replace Pierce.<\/p>\n<p>Instead, the Ravens waited until the sixth round to select an interior defensive lineman. They chose\u00a0Aeneas Peebles, who\u2019s \u201cknown more for penetrating gaps and backfield disruption,\u201d according to\u00a0Ravens.com Editorial Director Ryan Mink.<\/p>\n<p>Those qualities are similar to what Pro Bowler\u00a0Nnamdi Madubuike\u00a0and useful depth D-tackle\u00a0Broderick Washington\u00a0provide. What the Ravens were missing was cover for massive fourth-year nose guard\u00a0Travis Jones.<\/p>\n<p>The\u00a06-foot-4, 338-pounder\u00a0can be dominant, but he\u2019s not the most consistent, and Jones could have his position threatened by an\u00a0undefeated 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.<\/p>\n<p>Jenkins\u2019 availability for a\u00a0potential revenge game\u00a0could be key after what the\u00a0Buffalo Bills\u00a0did to Baltimore\u2019s defense in last season\u2019s playoffs. The Bills piled up\u00a0147 yards on the ground\u00a0to underpin a 27-25 victory at Highmark Stadium.<\/p>\n<p>That number was an outlier for a unit stingy enough to allow a\u00a0league-low 3.6 yards per carry\u00a0during 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\u2019s been a franchise staple.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Getty The Baltimore Ravens dipped back into 2025 NFL free agency to replace Michael Pierce. Retirement created a sizeable hole at the heart of the defensive line&#8230; <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":48880,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-48876","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-nfl"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v23.8 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Ravens Sign 327-pound Replacement for Michael Pierce: Report - 24\/7 News America<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?p=48876\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Ravens Sign 327-pound Replacement for Michael Pierce: Report - 24\/7 News America\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Getty The Baltimore Ravens dipped back into 2025 NFL free agency to replace Michael Pierce. 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