The Baltimore Ravens season may not have ended the way they wanted in 2019, but the team has a lot to look fondly upon when reviewing their decade.
As winners of four AFC North titles, including the last two back-to-back, and Super Bowl XLVII, Baltimore has been one of the model franchises in the NFL over the past 10 years. The Ravens have won the seventh-most regular-season games and fourth-most playoff games over the decade while registering the third-best point differential. A number of impressive players have come through the Ravens’ facilities over the decade with a select few on their way to entering Canton.
This is the offense for the Baltimore Ravens All-Decade team of the 2010s.
Baltimore Ravens All-Decade Team: Defense
Baltimore Ravens All-Decade Team 2010s: Offense
Quarterback: Joe Flacco (2008-2018)
The Ravens have only had two quarterbacks over the decade and shockingly, the soon to be 2019 MVP Lamar Jackson’s resume still falls short of Flacco’s. Prior to Jackson’s stellar season, Flacco held almost every record in the Ravens’ book. Leading the franchise in career passing yards, passing touchdowns, and post-season wins are just a few of the benchmarks Flacco holds for the Ravens. He also holds the single-season records for both passing yards (2016) and game-winning drives (four).
Most importantly, he has a Super Bowl ring and a Super Bowl MVP with Baltimore. Flacco’s most defining moment for the Ravens came in 2013, as he had debatably had the greatest run to a Super Bowl title of any quarterback all-time. Over his four-game run, Flacco had an 11:0 touchdown-to-interception ratio, 117.2 passer rating and beat Peyton Manning, Tom Brady, and Andrew Luck en route to the franchise’s second Super Bowl. The Flacco/Harbaugh duo was never a one-and-done in the playoffs and will always have a special place in the heart of Ravens fans for their seven playoff wins over the decade.
While Flacco’s Ravens tenure may not have ended the way he wanted, he is, for now, still the greatest quarterback in Ravens history.
Second-team: Lamar Jackson
Running Back: Ray Rice (2008-2013)
Rice is another player whose Ravens career didn’t end the way most both parties would’ve liked. However, prior to their breakup, he was one of the most dynamic running backs in Ravens history. Between Rice and Mark Ingram, the Ravens had an incredibly hard time finding consistent running backs throughout the 2010s. Rice started over twice as many games as the next closest running back throughout the decade. Baltimore was still able to find rushing help on a season-to-season basis, but Rice was by far the most reliable.
Rice was drafted 55th overall in the 2008 NFL Draft and did not disappoint almost every season in Baltimore. The running back was part of the Ravens 2012 Super Bowl-winning team, was selected to three Pro Bowls, was a second-team All-Pro twice (2009 and 2011), and led the NFL in scrimmage yards in 2011. He leads the franchise in receiving yards, receptions, and receiving touchdowns for a running back as well. Rice was as deadly a back as he was a receiver, and though he stood at just 5’8″, played with a willingness to win that embodied the Ravens way.
Second-team: Mark Ingram
Wide Reciever: Anquan Boldin (2010-2012)
It’s incredible the way in which Boldin is regarded by Ravens fans considering he only played three seasons for the team. Maybe it was something about his style of play or the way he carried himself. Boldin was one of the most useful weapons in Ravens history despite not being drafted by the team or leading the franchise in any major categories. In fact, the closest he ever came to a significant record is having the eighth-most receiving yards in franchise history.
Boldin’s defining moment was the display he put on during the Ravens run to the Super Bowl in 2012. He was Flacco’s go-to target, racking up 22 receptions, including six for over 20+ yards, 380 receiving yards, and four touchdowns. What was most impressive was the way in which he made his catches. When you think of Super Bowl XLVII, there are only a select number of plays you remember; one of which is Boldin’s back-shoulder catch over Carlos Rogers that set up the game-winning field goal. The catch embodied the toughness and finesse that Boldin played with throughout the playoffs and it was only fitting that it led to the game-sealing points.
Boldin is just one of those players that embody the Ravens way and it makes sense to why he is so revered.
Second-team: Mike Wallace
Wide Receiver: Torrey Smith (2011-2014)
While Ozzie Newsome proved throughout his tenure that he was one of the best at drafting and developing talent, there was always one position that managed to elude him: wide receiver. It could be argued that Smith was the only receiver Newsome ever hit on. Smith was drafted 58th-overall in 2011 and has been the most consistent Ravens receiver they ever drafted. The only thing that stopped him from being the best receiver in Ravens’ history was that he decided to leave in 2015 to sign a big-money deal with the San Fransisco 49ers.
Though he never made a Pro Bowl, Smith had all his best years as a member of the Ravens. He had a career-best 11 receiving touchdowns in 2014, and both a career-best 1,128 receiving yards and 65 receptions in 2013. Smith had four straight seasons of 750+ yards receiving and finished his Ravens career third in all-time receiving yards. After his rookie deal expired, Smith never had another year with 40+ receptions of 700+ receiving yards. His 62 games started ranks second amongst all-time Ravens wide receivers. The Ravens may never know what Smith could’ve achieved had he remained in Baltimore past 2014, but that doesn’t make his contributions any less important to the earlier half of the decade.
Second-team: John Brown
Tight End: Dennis Pitta (2010-2016)
Throughout Ravens’ history, their most utilized player on offense – outside of quarterback – has always been at tight end. Todd Heap held down the position over the back half of the 2000s and Pitta was his successor. He had a hard time staying healthy but when he was on the field, was one of Flacco’s favorite targets — maybe most importantly during the Ravens Super Bowl run. Pitta totaled 14 catches for 163 yards and three touchdowns in the 2012 playoffs. When Flacco needed a security blanket, Pitta was open.
Pitta played parts of six seasons as a Raven but only managed to stay healthy for 16 games three times and only started more than five games once. However, that didn’t stop him from etching his way in Ravens history. Over his 66 regular-season games as a Raven, Pitta managed to finish second in each receptions, receiving yards, and receiving touchdowns for a tight end. He also holds the Ravens record for receptions in a season by a tight end with 86 in 2016.
While Pitta’s career as a Raven will always be one of the big ‘what if he stayed healthy’ cases, he still has a place in the franchise’s lore as a Super Bowl winner and great tight end.
Second-team: Mark Andrews
Flex: Steve Smith Sr. (2014-2016)
Smith’s story is the opposite of Boldin’s. After spending 13 years of his career as a Carolina Panther, Smith came to Baltimore via free agency in 2014. But where the Panthers felt his career was coming to an end, Smith showed the NFL that he wasn’t done. Smith was a player that many thought would never be remembered as a Raven after his tenure as a Panther. Instead, he came to the Ravens and embraced the culture, making many fans wonder how a player like him could identify so well with a team after being the identity of another for so long.
Smith was only part of three seasons as a Raven but was a necessary addition to a team that continued to find it hard to develop receivers via the draft. Without his 79 receptions and 1,065 receiving yards in 2014, the Ravens don’t make the playoffs. It was Smith’s most successful season as a Raven and his seven-catch, 139-yard, two-touchdown Week 4 game against his former team, will go down in history as one of the great revenge-games of all time. He finished his Ravens career with 195 receptions, 2,534 receiving yards and 14 touchdowns in black and purple.
Similar to Boldin, Smith doesn’t hold any major Ravens records but perfectly identified with the team’s mentality.
Second-team: Kyle Juszczyk
Left Tackle: Ronnie Stanley (2016-Present)
While the Ravens rarely have the opportunity to pick in the top-10 of the draft, Stanley has been an incredible success. Stanley was taken with the sixth-overall pick in the 2016 draft — the Ravens’ earliest draft pick since Jamal Lewis was taken fifth-overall in 2000. He was selected to his first Pro-Bowl in 2019 while simultaneously making the NFL’s All-Pro team. Stanley had one of the most impressive seasons in pass coverage of any NFL tackle in 2019, covering Jackson’s blindside, and is the first All-Pro Ravens tackle since Jonathan Ogden made the team in 2003. The most impressive stat from his recent campaign is the zero sacks he allowed on the season.
While 2019 was Stanley’s coming out party in front of the league, he’s been very steady over his time in Baltimore. Since joining the Ravens, he’s been one of the best tackles in all of football and only seems to be getting better with age. If Marshal Yanda is seriously considering retirement, the Ravens are in a great spot to move on from him with Stanley.
Second-team: Michael Oher
Left Guard: Kelechi Osemele (2012-2015)
While Osemele didn’t start gathering league-wide praise until signing with the Oakland Raiders in 2016, he had a dream start to his career in Baltimore. As a second-round rookie selection by the Ravens, Osemele started each game of his first 16 NFL regular season at right tackle. He then transitioned to left guard for the Ravens Super Bowl run and didn’t miss a beat. His rookie season would be a sign of things to come as Osemele started each of the 35 games he played in over the next three years. The guard would be named a second-team All-Pro by Football Focus’ in 2014 and had his most impressive year in 2015 — finishing the year with just one sack and 10 quarterback hurries allowed. As one of the league’s most versatile guards, Osemele has had one of the most impressive careers of any guard this decade.
Second-team: Ben Grubbs
Center: Matt Birk (2009-2012)
This is a really tough one pick. The Ravens have used three centers in the decade, each for three years, and all have been relatively solid. Birk gets the nod simply because he was on the Super Bowl-winning team. He came to the Ravens in the twilight of career but was solid enough to anchor the Ravens offensive line and form good player chemistry with a young Flacco. However, his biggest achievement may have come off the field as he picked up the Walter Payton Man of the Year Award after his 2011 season. Birk may never be thought of as a Raven, but his quality play was integral to the Ravens’ success during the four years he was in Baltimore.
Second-team: Jeremy Zuttah
Right Guard: Marshal Yanda (2007-Present)
Of the 160 regular-season games the Ravens have played over the decade, Yanda has started 141. There’s a reason the Ravens have only used one starting right guard this decade. Yanda is maybe the best right guard the league has seen over the 2010s and will be a Raven until he chooses to hang up his cleats. His ability as a run blocker has made him one of the most consistent guards in NFL history, even after his 12th season of NFL action. Yanda has been named to the NFL All-Pro first-team team twice, second-team five times and been selected to eight of the last nine Pro Bowls. Even at age 35, Yanda has sustained a level of play that very few players in the NFL – at any position – have achieved.
Second-team: N/A
Right Tackle: Rick Wagner (2013-2016)
The Ravens have had a lot of players come through and start at right tackle over the decade, but Wagner is the only one who has really held the job for an extended period of time. Wagner was selected by the Ravens in the fifth round of the 2013 NFL Draft and got his first taste of action playing 58 offensive snaps in his first game as a Raven. Though he was seldom used after his first game, Wagner secured a starting role in 2014 and never looked back. Over the next three seasons, he would go on to start 45 of the Ravens 48 games. This included an incredibly impressive sophomore 2014 and a 2015 season in which he played every offensive snap of the season. Though he has never been selected to a Pro-Bowl or All-Pro team, Wagner has been a model of consistency at tackle over his seven-year career
Second-team: Orlando Brown Jr.
