For seven of the last nine years, the Ravens have had a stout nose tackle in Michael Pierce plugging up the middle of the defense. Just two months after the 32-year-old retired, Baltimore will welcome a new veteran to man the middle. The Ravens announced today that John Jenkins will join the team on a one-year deal. 
At 35 years old, Jenkins has played in the NFL for 12 years. Originally a third-round pick out of Georgia, Jenkins very quickly became a main contributor on the Saints defensive line. His play plateaued a bit over the next two years, resulting in New Orleans drafting Sheldon Rankins in the first round, benching Jenkins, and ultimately, waiving him in the final year of his rookie deal. He signed a few days later with the Seahawks but only appeared in two games for the rest of the year.
After that, Jenkins bounced around the league, playing one-year deals with the Bears, Giants, Dolphins, and Bears a second time. He then spent two more years in Miami before signing with the Raiders in 2023. In his first 10 years of NFL play, Jenkins only started 30 games, 22 of which came on his rookie contract with the Saints while the remaining eight were spread over seven seasons. In Las Vegas for the past two years, Jenkins started all 34 of the Raiders’ contests.
Jenkins has never been much of a pass rusher, only collecting 4.5 sacks over his 12-year career. His best seasons, though, have been highlighted with impressive run defense. His play has dipped a bit in recent years as his snap count has increased, but luckily, he’ll return to more of a rotational role in Baltimore.
This year will see the Ravens return their main three defensive linemen from 2024. Nnamdi Madubuike led the group in playing time last season, followed closely by Travis Jones. Broderick Washington is the third contributor who saw more playing time than Pierce last year. Jenkins will likely slide in for Pierce in the rotation, and after playing 595 snaps in 2023 and 606 snaps in 2024 for the Raiders, covering Pierce’s 254 snaps from last year should be no problem.