The Baltimore Ravens have added multiple playmakers in 2022 free agency, including safety Marcus Williams, offensive tackle Morgan Moses and defensive tackle Michael Pierce. The trio will bolster the Baltimore defense, and should have a massive impact during their time with the team.
When listing out each NFL team’s worst free agent signing of the 2022 offseason so far, Alex Kay of Bleacher Report named Pierce as his choice for the Ravens. When explaining his reasoning, Kay talked about how he hasn’t been on the field a lot in recent seasons in multiple aspects of the game, including opt outs, injuries, and low snap shares.
“While Pierce has been relatively productive when healthy—he notched three sacks and three tackles for loss in eight games last season—he’s logged only 251 snaps since the 2019 campaign ended and has never played more than 56 percent of his team’s defensive snaps in any season.”
Pierce missed the entire 2020 season due to opting out, and in 2021 only played in eight games. However, he’s improved as an interior pass rusher since leaving Baltimore for the Minnesota Vikings, and is one of the better run defenders in the league at his position.
While the Ravens probably could have found a productive option at nose tackle through the draft or a cheaper free agent, Pierce offers proven ability that could be well worth the investment, especially over the first season or two of the three-year contract.