Ravens Sign All-Pro Special Teamer

The career-Saint's fate coming down to a last-minute cut mere days before the start of the regular season came as a surprise to most, with the three-time All-Pro safety and special teamer getting let go as the corresponding move in New Orleans' activation of backup quarterback Jake Haener.

Former star teammate Alvin Kamara took to X with his simple response to Gray's departure, seemingly in awe alongside everyone else.

Gray was predicted to field a variety of offers from league-wide competitors upon suddenly hitting the open market, having accumulated 103 combined tackles and a trio of fumble recovering across seven seasons largely spent with the special teams unit. He was named a First Team All-Pro contributor in 2021, and outdid that season's then-career-high 22 combined tackles with 25 in 2024.

Gray's release saved the Saints about $2 million from their salary cap in entering the final year of his contract, and now gets the chance to make an impact with a team on the complete opposite end of the contending spectrum in the Ravens.

Though his getting signed to the practice squad usually indicates that he's still a step away from influencing Baltimore's Week 1 odds, it's largely presumed that he'll quickly make the jump to the 53-man roster. Before the Ravens make that cut, though, they'll first need to announce who's removed from the practice group in favor of Gray, still just 29 years old.

He'll be a welcome presence in the Ravens' attempts at fending off returners, having churned a successful career out of finding runners through the defense and stopping them in their tracks.

Baltimore, in particular, could benefit from his services. They enjoyed an offseason that was mostly defined by adding as opposed to subtracting, but did have to watch a few well-liked teammates depart in free agency, most notably in last year's special team captain in Chris Board in his short-lived return to the Ravens.

Gray, for his part, has long been noted for his locker room presence right alongside his regular on-field impact, signifying the Ravens' interest in netting a potential new leader for their special teams defense. Another smart margin move for a Ravens front office that's paid good attention to detail this summer.