Ravens sign veteran DT Taven Bryan ahead of Week 4 clash versus the Chiefs

The Ravens have added some experienced depth up front, inking former first-rounder Taven Bryan to their practice squad ahead of their Week 4 showdown with the Chiefs. 

The 28-year-old defensive tackle has been around the block, suiting up in 110 career games while piling up 151 tackles, 11.5 sacks, and 24 stops behind the line of scrimmage over seven seasons.

This move isn't just about insurance—it's about necessity. Baltimore is bracing to be without Pro Bowl DT Nnamdi Madubuike, who's expected to be sidelined for multiple games with a neck issue.

The Ravens are licking their wounds after a wild 38-30 defeat to the Detroit Lions on Monday night, a result that pushed them down to 1-2 and left them sitting third in the AFC North. That’s hardly the territory John Harbaugh's side expected to be in this early, especially with Week 4 already looming.

On one side of the ball, the Ravens are humming, the league's top-scoring offense through three weeks. On the other, it's been a mess. Baltimore's defense has sprung leaks everywhere, giving up the second-most points in the NFL. Sure, matchups with high-octane outfits like the Bills and Lions haven't helped, but for a unit that ranked among the league’s best a season ago, the regression has been glaring.

Looking to patch things up, the Ravens have made a move in the trenches. Bryan brings a dose of experience at a position that suddenly looks thin. At 6ft 4in and 291 pounds, Bryan was the 29th overall pick in the 2018 draft by Jacksonville, where he spent four years before hitting free agency. Since then, he's bounced around, logging snaps in Cleveland in 2022, then with the Colts the past two seasons. He even had a short stint with the Bengals this past summer before being cut at the end of camp.

Now in Baltimore, Bryan arrives with 46 starts and 113 career games under his belt. The numbers won't wow anyone—he's never hit more than three sacks in a season, has a career total of 11.5, and has never topped 33 tackles in a campaign. Still, he's a sturdy rotational piece who has forced a pair of fumbles across his career.

For a player once billed as a first-round talent who never quite lived up to the hype, this is a chance at redemption. Bryan's never played in the postseason, and while these 1-2 Ravens have work to do, Baltimore's still very much in the mix. 

The Ravens are set for an AFC Championship Game rematch with the Chiefs at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium on Sunday, Sept. 28 at 4:25 pm ET on CBS.