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Michael Pierce

Ravens Host Several Former Players For Scout School

June 27th, 2025 at 8:24pm CST by Ely Allen

Two things that we’ve witnessed in the last 30 years are the Ravens’ elite draft history between general managers Ozzie Newsome and Eric DeCosta and the propensity for NFL players to return to the sport in coaching and scouting roles when their playing careers are over. Newsome himself was a Hall of Fame tight end before making a case to become a future Hall of Fame executive. Now, DeCosta and the Ravens are actively working to merge those aforementioned two things with the Legends Scout School.

Ravens editorial director Ryan Mink provided details on the recent event about two weeks ago. The event was a two-hour, virtual crash course that the team’s director of legacy engagement, Matt Little, organized in tandem with the player personnel department. Named similarly to the Reese’s Senior Bowl’s Scout School, the Ravens’ version was developed as Little continuously saw more and more former Ravens express interest in getting into scouting.

The group of 21 players included former starting contributors like recently retired defenders Michael Pierce and Jimmy Smith, journeyman players whose time in Baltimore was brief like Antwan Barnes and Terrence West, and draft picks that never quite found their place on the roster like Prince Daniels and Aaron Mellette. The players ranged from Baltimore’s earliest days to its most recent season. Former NFL running back Earnest Byner was in attendance — his last two seasons of a 14-year career were Baltimore’s first two seasons as a franchise — as was Pierce, who retired shortly after catching his first career interception this past season.

The event started with a brief introduction from DeCosta, followed by an overview of the staff from director of player personnel Mark Azevedo, who then went over the role of a player personnel assistant. Then, director of college scouting Andrew Raphael provided a crash course on the college scouting process, followed by a similar breakdown of the pro scouting process by assistant director of pro personnel Corey Frazier. Vice president or football administration Nick Matteo closed the learning period by going over salary cap and contract management.

After all of that, Azevedo returned to go over the league’s Nunn-Wooten scouting fellowship program. The NFL created the program in 2015 to expose interested and qualified candidates to a career in professional scouting. One former player who expressed interest in applying for the fellowship was Marcus Smith. Smith, who had attended Mobile’s three-day event in 2024, claimed to have taken more away from Baltimore’s school in just two hours.

It’s certainly an interesting offseason project for the Ravens. While similar events, like the Senior Bowl’s, have been available before, this is the first known event like this designed by a team for its former players. It’s the latest advancement we’ve seen in the NFL’s efforts to improve the quality of life for players once their playing days are over, and it’s a welcomed sight.

Here’s a full list of players who attended the event with their Baltimore tenures:

  • OLB Antwan Barnes (2007-2009)
  • DT Levi Brown (2014)
  • RB Earnest Byner (1996-1997)
  • G Chris Chester (2006-2010)
  • WR Terrance Copper (2008)
  • RB Prince Daniels (2006-2008)
  • OL Steve Edwards (2007)
  • T Jared Gaither (2007-2010)
  • TE Terry Jones (2002-2005)
  • FB Jason McKie (2010)
  • WR Aaron Mellette (2013)
  • C Quentin Neujahr (1996-1997)
  • DT Michael Pierce (2016-2019,2022-2024)
  • C Matt Skura (2016-2020)
  • CB Jimmy Smith (2011-2021)
  • WR Marcus Smith (2008-2011)
  • G Tre Stallings (2008-2009)
  • WR Travis Taylor (2000-2004)
  • RB Terrence West (2015-2017)
  • LB Kenny Young (2018-2019)
  • C Jeremy Zuttah (2014-2016,2017)

Minor NFL Transactions: 6/2/25

June 2nd, 2025 at 8:08pm CST by Ben Levine

Today’s minor moves, including a handful of recent retirements that were made official:

Atlanta Falcons

Baltimore Ravens

Detroit Lions

Green Bay Packers

Houston Texans

Miami Dolphins

Philadelphia Eagles

Ravens Notes: Green, Pierce, Bowser, Jones

May 13th, 2025 at 11:55am CST by Adam La Rose

One of the main talking points from the Ravens’ draft was the team’s decision to select Mike Green in the second round. The Marshall edge rusher was widely regarded as a first-round talent, but he lasted until pick No. 59.

A key reason why that was the case was the view taken by a number of potential suitors of Green’s sexual assault allegations. Green faces accusations from an incident while he was in high school as well as another during his time at Virginia. The 21-year-old left the Cavaliers in 2022 following a suspension, paving the way for his highly productive tenure at Marshall.

A standout performance at the Senior Bowl helped establish Green as one of the top edge rushers in the 2025 class, but his off-the-field situation hurt his stock. ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reports multiple teams took him off their draft boards, an indication of their discomfort with his allegations and response to them. Baltimore – a team which has parted ways with kicker Justin Tucker against the backdrop of an investigation into allegations of inappropriate conduct – was obviously comfortable selecting Green and thus making him a key factor along the edge for 2025 and beyond.

Here are some more Ravens notes:

  • Michael Pierce‘s second stint with the team came to an end in March when the 32-year-old nose tackle announced his retirement. In the wake of that move, team and player have agreed to a procedural restructure of the remainder of his contract. Brian McFarland of Russell Street Report notes Pierce’s retirement will be processed as a post-June 1 transaction, with a $2MM roster bonus as well as his workout bonus being removed. $745K in immediate cap space was created by the move, and the Ravens will see an additional $1.26MM in space after June 1.
  • In other cap-related news, The Athletic’s Jeff Zrebiec reports edge rusher Tyus Bowser has withdrawn his grievance against the team. The $4.5MM grievance had been filed in response to the team’s handling of a knee injury which kept him sidelined for the entire 2023 season. Bowser spent his first seven years in Baltimore, but he split his time between the Seahawks and Dolphins in 2024. With the grievance being withdrawn, the Ravens will receive a $1.8MM cap credit.
  • Three of the Ravens’ 11 picks in this year’s draft were used on offensive linemen. The first of those was Emery Jones, selected in the third round. The LSU product could carve out a role as the Ravens’ swing tackle or compete for playing time at guard, but in either case he will not be on the field over the coming weeks. Head coach John Harbaugh said (via Fowler’s colleague Jamison Hensley) Jones is currently dealing with a shoulder injury. He may be sidelined until training camp as a result.
  • Sam Koch spent his entire 16-year career with the Ravens as their punter, and upon retiring in 2022 he joined the team’s coaching staff. After working closely with current punter Jordan Stout, though, Zrebiec reports Koch is no longer with the team (subscription required). Meanwhile, Baltimore has retained Anthony Levine as an assistant special teams coach. The 38-year-old played 152 combined regular and postseason games in his career, all with Baltimore. Levine’s post-playing days included a brief spell on the Titans’ staff, but he returned to Baltimore last offseason.

Ravens DT Michael Pierce Announces Retirement

March 12th, 2025 at 11:12am CST by Nikhil Mehta

After a nine-year career, Ravens defensive tackle Michael Pierce announced that he is retiring (via the Sports Spectrum podcast hosted by former NFL running back Matt Forte).

Pierce expressed appreciation for his time in the NFL and specifically thanked former Ravens general manager Ozzie Newsome and former defensive line coach Joe Cullen, who brought Pierce to Baltimore as an undrafted free agent out of Samford University in 2016. He made the Ravens’ 53-man roster as a rookie and never looked back, quickly becoming one of the league’s stoutest nose tackles.

“They gave me a chance when not many people were willing to take a chance on me,” said Pierce. He also thanked “big brothers” Terrell Suggs and Brandon Williams, who mentored him during his first stint in Baltimore.

Pierce played in 60 games (30 starts) for the Ravens from 2016 to 2019 with 3.5 sacks and 13 tackles for loss, earning him a three-year, $27MM deal from the Vikings. With a history of asthma and other respiratory problems, Pierce opted out of the 2020 season due to the coronavirus pandemic. He finally debuted in Minnesota in 2021, but played in only eight games due to an elbow injury. He still put up a career-high 3.0 sacks, but the Vikings opted to move on before the 2022 season.

The Ravens then swooped in to reunited with Pierce on a three-year, $16.5MM deal. He played in just three games due to a torn bicep in 2022, but starting all 17 games the following year as a core part of Baltimore’s league-leading defense. Another injury limited Pierce to just 11 games in 2024, but returned by the end of the regular season to end his career with a highlight. In Week 18 against the Browns, Pierce became the heaviest player since at least 2000 to record an interception at 355 pounds. He was also the NFL’s biggest active defender before his retirement.

Pierce’s size made him an effective run-stuffer who could absorb double-teams in the middle of the defensive line. He remained a solid defender until his retirement, but stints on injured reserve in three of the last four seasons made retirement a serious possibility before his age-33 season. The Ravens are currently set to return Nnamdi Madubuike, Travis Jones, and Broderick Washington to their defensive line in 2025, but they will need to add depth over the next few months.

Pierce had an option year set to trigger on March 17 that included an additional $2MM option bonus if he remained on the roster, per OverTheCap. Instead, his retirement will leave $2MM in dead money, $1.33MM of which can be pushed into 2026 with a post-June 1 designation. That would save the Ravens $2MM against the 2025 cap with just $667k of dead money this year.

Minor NFL Transactions: 12/14/24

December 14th, 2024 at 8:47pm CST by Ely Allen

Saturday’s minor moves and standard gameday elevations:

Arizona Cardinals

Baltimore Ravens

Buffalo Bills

Carolina Panthers

Cincinnati Bengals

Dallas Cowboys

Denver Broncos

Detroit Lions

Jacksonville Jaguars

Houston Texans

Kansas City Chiefs

Los Angeles Chargers

Miami Dolphins

New England Patriots

New Orleans Saints

New York Giants

New York Jets

Philadelphia Eagles

Pittsburgh Steelers

Seattle Seahawks

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Tennessee Titans

Washington Commanders

Demercado has taken a backseat to Florida State third-round rookie Trey Benson, but he has averaged 9.3 yards per carry on 24 carries this year. Palardy will take over punting duties with Gillikin landing on injured reserve.

Jackson signed with Bills in late July, and although he was among the team’s final roster cuts he was immediately retained via a practice squad deal. This elevation means Week 15 will mark his first time spent on the active roster this season. The 36-year-old has started all but 10 of his 203 NFL games, but last season was marred by suspensions which led to his Broncos release. Jackson could suit up for Buffalo down the stretch as a gameday elevation in a bid to rebuild his stock to a degree.

With the playoffs nearly out of reach and quarterback Joe Burrow dealing with a few ailments (wrist and knee), the Bengals don’t seem to be taking any chances. Jake Browning will continue serving as the primary backup, while Woodside’s promotion will allow him to act as the emergency backup.

Adams has seen his biggest NFL roles during his time in Pittsburgh. Though he hasn’t gotten the same number of starts as he had in 2022 and 2023, he’s continued the same level of production. After missing the last four games, he’ll be looking to return to the field as early as tomorrow.

Practice Window Opened For Ravens NT Michael Pierce

November 27th, 2024 at 10:01pm CST by Ely Allen

The Ravens have been without veteran nose tackle Michael Pierce for the last four weeks now, officially making him eligible to return from injured reserve. Baltimore is preparing to do just that after designating him to return from IR today, opening his 21-day practice window, per Ravens staff writer Clifton Brown. According to ESPN’s Jamison Hensley, head coach John Harbaugh is even hopeful that Pierce will be able to return this week.

This is a massive upgrade over the status report from last week. Only a week ago, the Ravens were reporting that they didn’t have a timeline on when Pierce would return, only that they definitely had plans to bring him back. Pierce was placed on IR with a calf injury at the end of October, and even then, the team knew that it would not be a season-ender.

The injury spread Baltimore’s defensive line incredibly thin, with injuries to Travis Jones and Brent Urban making it necessary to elevate practice squad defensive tackle Josh Tupou three times. The unit is starting to get its health back, which couldn’t come at a better time. Pierce’s return could complete a defensive line group that is about to face the league’s top rushing attack. While the Ravens’ Lamar Jackson and Derrick Henry had given that title to Baltimore over the first several weeks of the season, some recent impressive performances by running back Saquon Barkley have earned Philadelphia that honor of late.

There’s work yet to be done in order for the Ravens’ defensive line to be full-strength against Barkley and the Eagles. Baltimore will keep a close eye on Pierce in their remaining practices this week before anything becomes official, but the good news is that it sounds like a return to the field will happen sooner rather than later.

NFL Injury Updates: Evans, Mosley, Ravens

November 20th, 2024 at 10:05pm CST by Ely Allen

The Buccaneers have lost four games in a row, the last three without veteran wide receiver Mike Evans as he has dealt with a hamstring injury. According to Jordan Schultz of FOX Sports, Evans has returned to practice this week and plans to play this weekend against the Giants.

Without Evans, the team’s offense has struggled. Baker Mayfield failed to surpass 200 passing yards in each of the teams last two contests. Though fellow veteran wideout Chris Godwin remains on injured reserve likely until the postseason, Evans’ return should provide a boost to the passing game.

Though Evans was able to rack up six touchdowns in seven games, he’s been averaging the fewest yards per game of his career. Combined with the three-game absence, Evans is in danger of falling short of 1,000 receiving yards in a season for the first time in his 11-year career. He’ll 665 yards in Tampa Bay’s seven remaining games (an average of 95 yards per game) in order to keep his record streak alive.

Here are a couple other injury updates from around the NFL:

  • Veteran Jets linebacker C.J. Mosley has now missed seven games this season. His first couple absences were due to a toe issue, but he has missed New York’s last four games with a herniated disc in his neck. Per Brian Costello of the New York Post, Mosley hopes to return after the team’s bye this week.
  • The Ravens defense has been without veteran nose tackle Michael Pierce for the past three weeks as he sits on IR with a calf injury. According to Jeff Zrebiec of The Athletic, while the plan is for Pierce to return sometime this season, the team hasn’t set a timeline to bring him back. Additionally, Zrebiec gave an update on veteran cornerback Arthur Maulet, who didn’t make his 2024 season debut until Week 8 because of a knee injury that landed him IR-designated to return at the 53-man roster cut deadline. He missed last Sunday’s game against his former team in Pittsburgh with a calf injury, but Zrebiec claims that Maulet likely won’t need to join Pierce on IR.

Ravens Trade For Calais Campbell Fell Short

November 9th, 2024 at 10:18pm CST by Ben Levine

The Ravens were especially aggressive at the trade deadline as they looked to improve their defense. The team made an aggressive bid for Marshon Lattimore before landing Tre’Davious White from the Rams. If the front office had their way, they also would have reunited with an old friend.

[RELATED: Ravens Acquire CB Tre’Davious White From Rams]

According to Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated, the Ravens were close to completing a trade with the Dolphins for defensive tackle Calais Campbell. However, the deal ultimately fell apart at the last minute.

The veteran defensive lineman had a three-year stint in Baltimore between 2020 and 2022, starting 40 of his 41 appearances. Over that span, he collected 11 sacks, 14 tackles for loss, and 36 QB hits, and he got into another three playoff games for the organization. Campbell was cut by the team at the end of the 2022 campaign and caught on with the Falcons, where he spent one season.

The 38-year-old joined the Dolphins this past offseason and has started all eight of his appearances for his new squad, collecting 28 tackles and two sacks. Despite getting up there in age, Campbell still ranks fourth on Pro Football Focus’ rankings of interior defensive lineman, an improvement from his 23rd-place showing in 2023. The Ravens could have used some DL depth with Michael Pierce sitting on injured reserve and Brent Urban dealing with a concussion.

As for the trade they did make, Breer notes that White agreed to remove all playing-time incentives to help facilitate a trade to Baltimore.

Ravens Place NT Michael Pierce on IR

October 30th, 2024 at 1:27pm CST by Nikhil Mehta

The Ravens have placed veteran nose tackle Michael Pierce on injured reserve after suffering a calf injury in the team’s Week 8 loss to the Cleveland Browns.

The move will sideline Pierce for at least the Ravens’ next four games, making him eligible to return as early as Week 13 against the Eagles. This is not viewed as a season-ending injury, per John Harbaugh.

Baltimore’s defensive line depth has reached alarming levels with veteran Brent Urban also exiting Sunday’s game with a concussion and Travis Jones already limited to just 15 defensive snaps with an ankle injury. That placed a huge burden on Nnamdi Madubuike and Broderick Washington, who both saw season-high snap shares but struggled to stay fresh enough to slow the Browns’ second-half comeback. Outside linebackers Tavius Robinson and Odafe Oweh even slide inside for a handful of snaps throughout the game.

The Ravens will be hoping that Urban can quickly clear concussion protocol and Jones can return to his starting role, but even with both players fully healthy, the team will need additional depth along the interior of their defensive line. The Ravens reunited with Chris Wormley in September; after a few weeks on the practice squad, he should be ready for some game day elevations in the coming weeks.

The Ravens also signed Josh Tupou to the practice squad this week after the veteran defensive tackle spent the preseason in Baltimore alongside undrafted rookie C.J. Ravenell. Both players’ familiarity with the Ravens defense could lead to playing time in the next few weeks depending on the statuses of Urban and Jones.

Pierce’s placement on injured reserve only heightens the need for Baltimore to reinforce their league-worst passing defense. While the poor play of Marcus Williams and Eddie Jackson has led to calls for safety help, general manager Eric DeCosta may now look for an addition to his defensive line to boost his pass rush and make life easier for his secondary.

Ravens Extend DL Michael Pierce

January 6th, 2024 at 9:46am CST by Ben Levine

Michael Pierce is sticking around Baltimore. The Ravens have signed the defensive tackle to a two-year extension, according to ESPN’s Field Yates.

The new two-year deal is worth $7.5MM and will keep Pierce in a Ravens uniform through the 2025 campaign. The veteran defensive lineman initially signed a three-year, $16.5MM deal with the Ravens prior to the 2022 campaign. The two sides later reworked that deal to make Pierce a potential free agent following this season.

The former UDFA spent the first four seasons of his career in Baltimore, starting 30 of his 60 appearances. He inked a three-year deal with the Vikings in 2020, but after opting out of his first season with the organization, he was limited to only eight starts in 2021. He was released by Minnesota during the 2022 offseason and quickly caught on with his former squad.

Pierce’s first season back in Baltimore was limited to only three games thanks to a torn biceps, but he’s returned to start each of his 16 appearances in 2023. This season, he’s compiled 36 tackles, one sack, and two fumble recoveries, with Pro Football Focus grading him 18th among 131 qualifying interior defenders.

The Ravens have been busy retaining their defensive tackles. The team extended Broderick Washington prior to the season, and they’ve now locked in Pierce. The last order of business would be Justin Madubuike, who is set to hit free agency after this season. Jeff Zrebiec of The Athletic says it’s “hard to imagine” that the Ravens would let Madubuike hit the open market, even if it means they have to hit the defensive lineman with the franchise tag.

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