Ravens Dominate PFF Quarter-Century Team

The Baltimore Ravens have generally been one of the NFL's more consistent teams throughout the 21st Century, and they owe it to the many outstanding players who have donned the purple and black over the years.

Many stars have called Baltimore home over the past 25 years, from the defensive cornerstones at the turn of the century to the offensive monsters of the present day. They've all helped the Ravens make the playoffs 16 times, win the AFC North eight times and win the Super Bowl twice.

As such, it's no surprise that the Ravens are well-represented with four players on Pro Football Focus' quarter-century team, two on each side of the ball. The two defensive players - linebacker Ray Lewis and safety Ed Reed - were obvious additions as some of the best players ever at their positions.

"Lewis’ career dates back further than PFF grading, beginning in 1996, though he is deserving of making the quarter-century team when projecting the start of his career — five first-team All-Pro appearances and two Defensive Player of the Year awards — to the PFF era," PFF's Jonathan Macri wrote.

"Once PFF's grading began, Lewis produced one of the best career grades for the position, ranking among the top five linebackers since 2006. His 2009 season was his best captured by PFF, as he delivered a 91.4 PFF overall grade — the top mark that year and tied for the third-best season all time for the position."

Unlike Lewis, Reed wasn't a part of the Ravens' historically dominant 2000 defense, but he was the undisputed leader in the secondary throughout his 11 seasons in Baltimore.

"Much like [former Pittsburgh Steelers safety Troy] Polamalu, Reed began his career before PFF grading commenced. We missed out on his 2004 Defensive Player of the Year season and two All-Pro and Pro-Bowl performances."

"In the years that followed, Reed delivered the second-highest career forced incompletion rate (19.3%) of the PFF era among 116 qualifying safeties. His 93.4 PFF coverage grade in 2009 was the third-best mark ever captured for the safety position by PFF, while his 91.8 PFF overall grade that year is tied for the fourth-best single-season mark."

The two offensive players are guard Marshal Yanda, who spent his entire 13-year career in Baltimore, and running back Derrick Henry, who had an outstanding first season with the Ravens in 2024 and recently earned himself a handsome extension. Yanda and Henry are also among the best players at their positions in recent memory, so they're more than worthy picks.