The purging of the Baltimore Ravens roster continues. After losing five starters on their Super Bowl-winning defense from last year (including two Hall of Famers and three linebackers in total), the Ravens have officially lost a sixth with safety Bernard Pollard. The veteran safety signed a contract with the Tennessee Titans, per FOX Sports and other sources.
Though Ed Reed was more of the free-lancing ballhawk in the Ravens' secondary, Pollard was an enforcer, known for making big, and sometimes dirty hits. He was a solid player on a stout Baltimore defense over the past two years, accounting for two interceptions, three forced fumbles, a recovery and four quarterback sacks as a Raven. Still, for some you ProFootballFocus buffs out there, Pollard was rated as the 68th-ranked safety out of 85 rated safeties last year by Marvin Lewis' favorite website.
Pollard's label as a dirty player began back in 2008 when he went low on Patriots quarterback Tom Brady and shredded his knee in the first game of that season. It's an image that has stuck with Pollard throughout his NFL career and he really began to embrace the swagger that comes with that title over the past few years--particularly with Baltimore.
What may surprise some is that his move to the Titans marks his fourth team in the past six seasons. Aside from his new gig in Tennessee and his previous one in Baltimore, Pollard spent two years with the Houston Texans after spending his first three with the Kansas City Chiefs. There was talk that Baltimore might have wanted to look at re-signing him for a cheaper price down the road, but that never gained momentum.