The Baltimore Ravens have been one of the more aggressive teams in free agency over its first few days, signing multiple high-level players that can contribute at positions of need. With the rest of the AFC also adding talent, Baltimore general manager Eric DeCosta is showing that he won’t stand pat.
On Thursday, the Ravens agreed to terms with former Minnesota Vikings defensive tackle Michael Pierce to a three-year, $16.5 million contract. The move came after former Green Bay Packers outside linebacker Za’Darius Smith backed out of a deal with Baltimore.
Pierce played the first four years of his career with the Ravens before signing with Minnesota in the 2019 offseason. He only played in eight games over two seasons with the Vikings, as he opted out of the 2020 season and dealt with injuries over parts of 2021.
In his six-year career, Pierce has totaled 171 tackles and 6.5 sacks. He is regarded as one of the better interior pass rushers for his position, and is a very good run defender. It seems like he will be taking over for Baltimore free agent defensive tackle Brandon Williams, who the team has tried to play on the field at the same time as Pierce before.
While Pierce isn’t on the same level as Smith, he still represents an upgrade at a position that the Ravens needed to get younger at. He has familiarity with the franchise, and for a bit over a $5 million average per season, they got good value as well.
Grade: B
