Training camp is just around the corner, and the job of securing one of the 53 spots on the Baltimore Ravens roster is ready to begin. Not every player will have the same chance to earn their roster spot, of course. Players taken early in the NFL draft or brought in on pricey free-agent deals either have a spot locked up or will be given every opportunity to win one.
But occasionally, against incredible odds, an undrafted rookie will emerge. Having overcome every obstacle thrown at him after not hearing his name called at the draft itself. These players should be celebrated, and their achievements rightfully recognized.
With this in mind, here are seven of the most notable UDFAs in Baltimore’s history.
C Mike Flynn
There are not many better players to begin this list with than Flynn. He is one of only 25 players from the University of Maine to have made it into the NFL, but he didn’t do it the easy way.
Flynn was signed by the Ravens after the 1997 NFL draft but was released shortly afterward. He spent time on the Jacksonville Jaguars and Tampa Bay Buccaneers that year before returning to Baltimore after both Florida teams released him. Flynn would play in three games in 1998 and 12 in 1999 before becoming a starter in 2000 and winning a Super Bowl ring that season.
He spent his time playing either center or right guard and was guilty of only eight holding penalties during his NFL career. Flynn would go on to play in 134 games for Baltimore between 1998 and 2007, starting 115 of them. Only 10 players have started more games for the Ravens than Flynn.
RB Priest Holmes
In 1997 the Ravens also took a chance on Holmes, who came into the NFL after having to sit behind Ricky Williams at Texas.
Holmes saw little action as a rookie but led the Ravens in rushing yards in 1998, finishing with 1,008 yards with seven touchdowns. He rushed for 227 yards in a Week 11 game against the Bengals, a mark that has been exceeded only once in Ravens history (Jamal Lewis had a 295-yard day against Cleveland in 2003).
Injuries restricted Holmes to just nine games in 1999, and then he was parked behind Lewis as the Ravens won their first Super Bowl. In four seasons with Baltimore, Holmes finished with 2,102 rushing yards, still No. 4 all-time for the team.
But his next three seasons with the Chiefs made everyone realize what a special player Holmes really was. Between 2001 and 2003, Holmes rushed for 4,590 yards while scoring a phenomenal 56 rushing touchdowns. He was limited to just 19 games between 2004 and 2007, and his Chiefs career would consist of a solitary playoff game.
LB Bart Scott
It took four seasons for Scott to break free of the “special teams ace” tag that, while earning him an NFL wage, could be said to have held him back in getting regular reps on defense. When he got his chance, he made the most of it.
Scott went undrafted out of Southern Illinois and was signed as a UDFA by the Ravens, the only team to have sent a scout out to watch him. He played in 42 of 49 games in his first three seasons but had to wait for season No. 4 to get his first start. In 2005, he was second on the team with 92 combined tackles and tied for third with four sacks. But his 2006 campaign was even better.
Scott was tied for first in tackles with 103 — right alongside Ray Lewis. Scott also amassed a career-high 9.5 sacks and two interceptions on his way to his first (and only) Pro Bowl berth.
Scott left in free agency before the 2009 season for the New York Jets, with whom he’d spend the final four seasons of his career. His 433 combined tackles rank No. 8 all-time for Baltimore.
RB B.J. Sams
The Ravens have long held a reputation for producing special teams stars who earn their keep despite doing little on offense or defense. Sams is one such player. He ran the ball just four times in his 46 games with the team, and his real contribution to the team was on special teams as a kick returner.
Sams was undrafted out of McNeese State in 2004 despite winning Southland Conference Player of the Year in 2003. He was picked up by the Ravens and as a rookie led the NFL in punt returns, return yards and touchdowns.
His 55 returns garnered 575 yards and two touchdowns as a rookie. In a Week 4 game against the Kansas City Chiefs, Sams had 250 combined kick and punt return yards, the second-highest single-game total in Ravens history. It was one of seven career games with 150 or more kick return yards for Sams. In 2005 he posted 401 return yards at a 12.2 yards-per-return average.
Sams broke his leg during Week 1 of the 2007 campaign and was released by the team after missing the rest of the season. After three games for the Chiefs in 2008, his NFL career came to an end. Sams remains No. 2 all-time for Baltimore in kick and punt return yards, with his 4,481 yards trailing only Jermaine Lewis’ 5,883 return yards between 1996 and 2001.
K Justin Tucker
Speaking of special teams aces, the Ravens landed a beauty when they signed the former University of Texas star to compete for the kicker job with Billy Cundiff in 2012. The rest, as they say, is history.
Tucker leads all NFL kickers with 237 successful field goals since 2012. He has made 99.6% of his extra-point attempts, the second-highest success rate of any kicker with at least 100 attempts. Tucker trails only Stephen Gostkowski of the New England Patriots in total points scored in the last seven seasons (952).
Tucker already holds a host of the Ravens’ all-time kicking records, including most successful field goals in a season (38, in 2013 and 2016) and most points scored in a single season (141, in 2016). Tucker is also the most accurate kicker in NFL history, posting up a 90.1% rate over 263 attempts (72nd-most attempts all-time)
Tucker and the Ravens agreed to a four-year contract extension this offseason, so there will be plenty more points to come in the years ahead.
LB Jameel McClain
Like Bart Scott, McClain had to bide his time on special teams before he could force his way into the starting lineup. Like Scott, he made an impact when he finally got his chance.
McClain played three seasons for Syracuse, including a wildly productive 2006 season in which he led the Big East with 10 sacks and was fifth in tackles for loss with 15. He signed with the Ravens after going undrafted in 2008.
McClain became a starter during the 2010 season and remained in the starting lineup until Week 14 of 2012. During a loss to Washington, McClain suffered a spinal cord contusion and missed the rest of the season, including the Ravens’ victory over the 49ers in the Super Bowl.
Despite being advised by at least one doctor to bring his career to an end, McClain returned to play 10 games in 2013. He left for the New York Giants, with whom he played a single season in 2014. McClain would lead the team in tackles during this season but was released prior to the 2015 season.
McClain is No. 8 on the Ravens’ all-time list with 119 assisted tackles, but this is not the end of his contributions to Baltimore. In 2017, he was hired as director of player of engagement.
S Will Demps
After earning two first-team All-Mountain West Conference nods, Will Demps went undrafted in 2002. Demps was signed by the Ravens and played in 14 games as a rookie, starting in 10.
Demps would play in every game in the next two seasons, defending seven passes in each season and intercepting two passes in the 2003 season. In 2004, he notched 2.5 sacks. In one game against the Bengals, he recorded 14 total tackles, which remains a franchise record for a defensive back.
In a game against the Bengals in 2005, Demps tore his ACL, bringing his season to an end after 11 games. He was released at the end of the season. He went on to play one season with the Giants before playing the final two seasons of his career with the Houston Texans. He is at No. 22 on the Ravens’ all-time list with 23 passes defended.
