The Ravens already have three homegrown players in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. In 2025, they could add two more.
Outside linebacker Terrell Suggs and guard Marshal Yanda will be eligible for the first time and have a chance to join Jonathan Ogden, Ray Lewis, and Ed Reed as first-ballot Hall of Famers.
On Wednesday, Suggs and Yanda were two of 167 modern-era players nominated, and the list will be cut down to 50 in mid-October.
Here are the cases for Suggs and Yanda:
Terrell Suggs
Why it will happen:
Suggs ranks eighth on the all-time sacks list with 139 over his 17 seasons. All seven players in front of him are Hall of Famers and so are seven players not too far behind him.
Suggs has the hardware. He won two Super Bowls: one with the Ravens in 2012 and another with the Kansas City Chiefs as a late-season addition in 2019. He was the NFL Defensive Player of the Year in 2011, when he had a career-high 14 sacks and seven forced fumbles. He was the NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year in 2003, when he exploded out of the gates with 12 sacks.
Few can match his longevity. Over 17 seasons, Suggs was a seven-time Pro Bowler.
When it will happen:
Miami Dolphins defensive end Jason Taylor got into the Hall of Fame on his first try. He finished his 15-year career with a half-sack more than Suggs, never won a Super Bowl, and went to one fewer Pro Bowl. However, most pass rushers have had to wait a bit.
Dwight Freeney will be enshrined this year after being a finalist in his first shot. Freeney played 16 seasons, had 125.5 sacks, was a seven-time Pro Bowler, and one-time Super Bowl champion.
Defensive end Jared Allen has been a Hall of Fame finalist four straight years and still isn't in. Allen had 136 sacks (just three fewer than Suggs) and was a four-time first-team All-Pro, five-time Pro Bowler and led the NFL in sacks twice.
Marshal Yanda
Why it will happen:
Once Yanda settled in at right guard in his fifth season, he went to the Pro Bowl eight of the next nine seasons (every year he was healthy). Yanda was a two-time first-team All-Pro (2014 & 2015) and five-time second-teamer. He was named to the NFL 2010s All-Decade Team.
Yanda helped lead the Ravens to a Super Bowl victory in 2012 and Baltimore was the only place he played. He would have likely had more strong seasons if he chose to keep playing. After all, Yanda was still a Pro Bowler and one of the best guards in the game in his final 2019 season.
Steve Hutchinson was inducted into the Hall in 2020 and he went to one fewer Pro Bowl. On Gil Brandt's list of the best guards in NFL history, Yanda ranked 11th and Hutchinson was 15th.
When he will get in:
Typically, guards have to wait. Hutchinson was part of the 2000 class. He got in on his third year of eligibility. Mike Munchak also had to wait three rounds before he was enshrined in 2001. Longtime Kansas City Chief Will Shields, who went to 12 Pro Bowls, went in on his fourth try after being a finalist for three straight years. Yanda was one spot ahead of Shields on Brandt's list.
What could also slow down Yanda's admission is that longtime New Orleans Saints guard Jahri Evans may be the next guard to get in, as he was one of 15 finalists for the 2024 class. Evans has a similar resume to Yanda (one Super Bowl, four first-team All-Pros, six Pro Bowls, 2010s All-Decade Team).
