The Baltimore Ravens have had one of the best special teams units in the NFL for many years now. A lot of that has to do with kicker Justin Tucker and punter Sam Koch, but it’s not just those two areas that make special teams thrive in Baltimore.
The team has had many ace special teams players, including more recent examples such as Brendon Ayanbadejo, Albert McClellan, Anthony Levine Sr., and others. Another one on that list is inside linebacker Chris Board, who has turned into one of the better special teams players in all of football.
Board has totaled 94 tackles and 2.5 sacks over the first four years of his NFL career, primarily playing on the special teams side of things. However, he has seen snaps at inside linebacker, providing some solid play there at times.
The linebacker signed with the Ravens as an undrafted free agent in 2018 out of North Dakota State. He was a safety in high school and played there a bit in college, but ultimately found a home as a linebacker.
When looking at if Baltimore should re-sign Board, there are a few factors. For one, he is a very versatile piece that not only has value on special teams, but also on defense. There are multiple Ravens inside linebacker scheduled to hit free agency other than Board, so his ability to do multiple things could bode well for his chances of returning to the organization.
The linebacker also seemingly wouldn’t break the bank to re-sign. However, there are sure to be other teams that see value in him, so if some form of a bidding war breaks out Baltimore might have to pivot elsewhere.
Board might be one of those players that means more to the Ravens than any other team. That’s not a bad thing, as every organization has players that are almost “glue guys”, and for Baltimore it seems like Board is that for them on special teams. It wouldn’t be shocking to see the now fifth-year player back in a Baltimore uniform once the 2022 season begins.