Bruising fullback Vonta Leach is a free agent. Linebacker Jarret Johnson left before last season. Both were known as Baltimore's blue-collar bruisers.
So entering 2013, who's the Ravens' most underrated player?
Here's a look at some of the candidates:
QB Joe Flacco
How can the reigning Super Bowl MVP be underrated? Just ask all the Flacco detractors still remaining. Flacco has the most wins of any quarterback in NFL history in his first five years. He's gone to the playoffs every season under center. But critics don't like his stats, as he hasn't thrown for more than 4,000 yards in a single season yet and has a career completion percentage of 60.5 percent.
CB Corey Graham
Known primarily for being a Pro Bowl special teams player in Chicago, Graham turned into much more in Baltimore last year. Due to injuries to Lardarius Webb and Jimmy Smith, Graham became a starter in Week 10. From that point on, he nabbed four interceptions in 12 games, including two in the AFC divisional round against Peyton Manning. Graham also had one of the NFL's best marks in average yards allowed per completion against him.
OL Kelechi Osemele
Osemele excelled as a rookie, earning a strong 3.1 grade from Pro Football Focus that ranked him 42nd in the NFL among all tackles during the regular season. But Osemele was even stronger at guard in the playoffs, and is expected to play there in 2013. It's his more natural position. The second-round pick started every game throughout the regular season and playoffs last year. Despite his sterling rookie season, Osemele hasn't received much attention.
RB Bernard Pierce
There's not much room in the spotlight when you're Ray Rice's backup. However, Pierce ranked fifth among all NFL running backs in average yards per carry (4.9). He only trailed Minnesota's Adrian Peterson, Buffalo's C.J. Spiller, Kansas City's Jamaal Charles and Seattle's Marshawn Lynch. Pierce has gotten some buzz this offseason, but he's far from a household name.
CB Lardarius Webb
Webb looked to be on the verge of being the NFL's next big-name cornerback last year when he signed a five-year, $50 million extension and started the season strong. Then he suffered his second season-ending knee injury. For that reason, Webb still hasn't reached NFL stardom, despite his immense talent. Webb had one interception and six pass deflections in six games last year, and five interceptions the season before.
OL Marshal Yanda
The right guard has been voted to the Pro Bowl the past two years, but he wasn't on the NFL Network's list of top 100 players of 2013. Offensive linemen generally don't get too much credit. Still, there were six other linemen on the NFL's list, including New England guard Logan Mankins.
