15: Ravens 30-Something Additions

As the Ravens get underway for the 2024 season, much of the focus is on veteran quarterback Derrick Henry.

Henry is one of the most electrifying offensive players of the past decade in the NFL, and he turned 30 in January. While the Ravens are known for their draft and development history, they have also had more than their fair share of success with veterans who were signed deep into their careers.

In fact, after I settled on the concept of the “15 Late-Career Ravens Signings,” I was forced to define it more precisely because the list was so long. First, everyone on the list had to play his first game in Baltimore after turning 30. So guys like Elvis Dumervil, Mark Ingram II, Vonta Leach and Michael Pierce in his second season were left out. They all turned 30 during their first season.

Still, the roster was so strong that I had to exclude anyone who only played one season, like Odell Beckham Jr., Jadeveon Clowney, Owen Daniels, Kyle Van Noy (who’s still adding to his resume after 30), and Benjamin Watson. Even after that, the roster was still so strong that it didn’t manage to include valuable veterans like Chris Canty, Justin Houston, and Morgan Moses.

So I think the actual list should be “15 Ravens 30-Something Additions.” This list is in alphabetical order. These aren’t real rankings.

1. Linebacker Brendon Ayanbadejo

Special attention was given to players who won Super Bowls during their time in Baltimore, including the Super Bowl XLVII champion. The younger Ayanbadejo was already 32 years old and had a decade-long career when he joined the Ravens in 2008. He was a standout special teams player for five seasons (including a Pro Bowl nomination in 2008) and provided valuable support as an inside linebacker.

2. Middle Matt Birk

After earning six Pro Bowl nods at Minnesota, Birk joined the Ravens in 2009 at age 33. He went on to have four successful seasons, starting every game, before retiring after helping the Ravens win Super Bowl XLVII.

3. Defensive line player Calais Campbell

Campbell was 34 when he played his first game with the Ravens in 2020. But he remained incredibly influential, racking up 11 sacks and deflecting nine passes in three seasons. He was a Pro Bowl selection in 2020 and has emerged as one of the team’s stronger vocal and emotional leaders.

4. Cornerback Brandon Carr

Carr made an immediate impact with the Ravens after joining them in 2017 at age 31. He had four interceptions in his first season in Baltimore and six in his three years, starting every game.

5. Wide receiver Derrick Mason

While this is a list, not a ranking, if it were a ranking, there would be no debate about who would be at the top. Mason proved to be one of the Ravens’ greatest acquisitions, regardless of age. He was 31 when he arrived in 2005 and set franchise records for career receptions (471) and receiving yards (5,777), numbers that still stand today, despite his retirement more than a decade ago. His efforts, while playing through a shoulder injury in 2008 during his final game at Texas Stadium, are also remembered as among the most daring in team history.

6. Offensive Player Bryant McKinnie

McKinnie’s two-and-a-half seasons in Baltimore were at times puzzling but undoubtedly impactful. He was dogged by injuries, contract issues and rumors about his weight and commitments after arriving in 2011 at age 31. He didn’t play a single regular-season game in 2012. But he was reinserted as the starting left quarterback in the playoffs and played the best football of his career in the postseason, helping the offense come alive en route to a Super Bowl XLVII title.

7. Defensive lineman Trevor Pryce

Pryce was 31 when he arrived in Baltimore in 2006. He was incredibly influential in his first season, racking up 13 sacks that year as the Ravens went 13-3 and won the AFC North. He played in 56 games over four and a half seasons, finishing with 26 sacks in purple and black.

8. Tight end Shannon Sharpe

Sharpe may have lost his stride when he arrived in Baltimore in 2000 at age 32. It certainly looked that way when Patrick Johnson was pushing him into the end zone on his incredible 96-yard catch-and-run touchdown run in the 2000 AFC Championship Game against the Raiders. But he wrote another fascinating chapter in his Hall of Fame career during his two seasons here, finishing with 1,621 yards and seven touchdowns (with 309 more yards and two more scores in the playoffs) and his third Super Bowl title.

9. Defensive point guard Tony Siragusa

“The Goose” was 30 years old when he arrived in Baltimore in 1997. He immediately became a beloved figure in the city, taking on the role of a sort of evangelist for the fledgling franchise. His larger-than-life personality was evident on the field, where he provided the toughness needed for a defense that went down as one of the greatest units in college football history en route to a Super Bowl XXXV title.

10. Linebacker Daryl Smith

The pressure to replace a legend can be overwhelming. Smith was 31 when he signed with the Ravens in 2013, but he had no problem standing in the direct shadow of Hall of Fame inductee Ray Lewis. Smith forced play in the middle of the field for three seasons, recording nine sacks, seven forced fumbles and five interceptions during that time.

11. Wide receiver Steve Smith Sr.

The Carolina Panthers legend was already 35 when he arrived in Baltimore in 2014, but he still had a lot of growing to do. Smith finished with 2,534 yards and 14 touchdowns in three seasons in Baltimore, despite missing half of the 2015 season with an injury.

12. Wide Receiver Mike Wallace

Only nine players in franchise history have recorded 1,000-yard receiving seasons. One of them is Wallace, who was 30 when he arrived in 2016 (a 1,000-yard season). He added another 748 yards the following season and scored eight total touchdowns in his two years with the Ravens.

13. Security Eric Weddle

Weddle would have a strong case to be second to Mason if that were the ranking. He was 31 when he joined the Ravens in 2016. He was a Pro Bowler in each of his three seasons in Baltimore, totaling 10 interceptions during that span. His tenure with the Ravens helped earn him a spot on the NFL All-Decade team.

14. Defenseman Rod Woodson

The Pro Football Hall of Famer was 33 when he joined the Ravens in 1998. He moved from cornerback to safety after the ’98 season, making a seamless transition. During his four seasons in Baltimore, he recorded 20 (!) interceptions, five of which he returned for touchdowns. He also forced three fumbles and recovered six during that time, making three Pro Bowls and helping the Ravens to a Super Bowl XXXV title.

15. Offensive Lineman Kevin Zeitler

Zeitler was 31 when he was traded to Baltimore in 2021. He immediately proved to be a stalwart, a reliable right guard for three seasons. He finished the 2023 season with a 93.8 percent pass-blocking percentage, which helped him earn his first career Pro Bowl nod.

Photo credit: Sabina Moran and Kenya Allen/PressBox

Issue 288: August/September 2024

Originally published on August 14, 2024.