Hours after an agreement with former Baltimore outside linebacker Za’Darius Smith fell through, the Ravens settled for a different reunion with nose tackle Michael Pierce on a three-year deal on Thursday.
Released by Minnesota two years after leaving the Ravens to sign a $27 million contract, Pierce now returns to the place where he began his NFL career on a $16.5 million contract including $6.75 million guaranteed. And while he doesn’t fill the pass-rushing need general manager Eric DeCosta hoped he would be addressing by adding a two-time Pro Bowl selection in Smith, the 6-foot, 340-pound Pierce fills a void on the defensive line with longtime nose tackle Brandon Williams and top backup Justin Ellis both becoming unrestricted free agents this week.
Pierce’s addition doesn’t remove the sting of Smith backing out of what was reported to be a four-year, $35 million agreement on Wednesday afternoon. DeCosta declined comment when asked for an update on the former Green Bay Packer’s contractual status during a Thursday press conference for new Ravens Marcus Williams and Morgan Moses, but the prolonged silence from both sides after the initial reports began raising concerns that the deal could be in jeopardy. Though the full details remain unclear, the perception of the agreement being team friendly coupled with the news of more lucrative contracts for standout edge rushers Von Miller and Chandler Jones likely prompted the change of heart and a desire for a revised deal that couldn’t be ironed out. As a result, Smith remains a free agent while the Ravens go back to the drawing board to find pass-rushing help for a defense that registered only 34 sacks last season, their lowest total since 2016.
“We’ve spent some money, but we still have some money, and I think you’ll see over the coming days that we’re not going to stand pat,” DeCosta said a few hours before the Smith news broke. “If we have the ability to be flexible and find the right type of players, we’ll do that. We’re just at the beginning of the process. There are so many different balls in the air right now. But we look at it as a great opportunity, and we’re excited. As I’ve said before, we were disappointed by this past season, and we see a real opportunity moving forward.”
With Smith being limited to just two games — one coming in the playoffs — last season because of a back injury requiring surgery, it will be interesting to see what kind of market now materializes for his services. The Packers released him earlier this week with one season remaining on a four-year, $66 million contract signed in March of 2019.
Pierce dealt with an elbow injury that limited him to eight games last season and opted out of the 2020 season because of concerns over COVID-19, meaning he really didn’t get to show the Vikings the kind of player he had been in Baltimore. However, the 29-year-old registered a career-high three sacks in 2021 — two coming against Cincinnati in the season opener — after recording just 3 1/2 total over his first four seasons. He missed only four games during his first run with the Ravens.
Pro Football Focus graded the 2016 undrafted free agent out of Samford 13th or better among qualified interior defenders in each of his first three seasons and 46th out of 116 qualified players in 2019. The publication would have graded Pierce 11th among interior linemen this past season had he played more than a career-low 251 snaps to qualify.
On Thursday evening, cornerback Anthony Averett officially became the second Ravens free agent to land elsewhere as the Las Vegas Raiders announced their one-year deal with the 2018 fourth-round pick worth a reported $4.5 million. Denver signed reserve blocking tight end Eric Tomlinson to a one-year deal earlier this week.
