Ravens DL Honors Former Teammate With Jersey Number

Their strong bond was evident and extended beyond the field and football, as even their wives are close friends and have matching bracelets with their respective husbands' last names spelled out in gold-encrusted diamonds.

The days of them taking the field together came to a bitter and premature end in the Ravens' latest shortcoming in the playoffs, as it marked the last game of Pierce's career. He officially retired back in March, just before the start of the new league year, stepping away from the game after nine years in the league, seven of which were with the Ravens.

While the former undrafted gem out of Samford decided to hang up his cleats, Urban took to social media shortly after last season ended to express his desire to play at least one more year.

After spending the entire offseason on the open market, the 34-year-old was re-signed by the Ravens on Saturday after visiting with the team on Friday.

Since he wore the No. 97 jersey for the past two years, No. 68 with the Ravens in 2022 and No. 96 during his first stint with the team after being drafted in the fourth round of the 2014 NFL Draft out of Virginia, Urban had to pick a new number to wear. For his 11th and likely final season in the league, he decided to honor his close friend and former teammate by picking Pierce's No. 58, which he wore for his second stint with the team from 2022-2024.

Urban's return to the team is more than just a happy story,; it provides the Ravens with additional quality depth, veteran leadership, and familiarity with the team and its standards. At 6-foot-7 with 34.25-inch arms, he also adds value on special teams, particularly in field goal blocks.

According to head coach John Harbaugh, general manager Eric DeCosta and Urban had been in contact during the offseason and over the summer with a potential reunion being "in the works for a while."

"He played well last year so as long as he can still play and help us, he's a great guy, a great kind of guy you want on your team and gives us really good depth in there," Harbaugh said. "I'm a little surprised he's wearing 58. It's a different (sized) jersey probably, it won't be the exact jersey but that's also very cool."