John Jenkins had already played for six teams, including two stints with the Chicago Bears and Miami Dolphins, when he went looking for a new dance partner for his 13th NFL season.
Though he said his May 16 deal with the Ravens came together quickly, it wasn't a surprise.
"The Ravens have a similar background to what I'm used to, where I feel like I could dominate in," Jenkins said. "I'm a nose tackle, so there ain't too many get-off-the-rock defenses I can thrive in."
With the retirement of Michael Pierce this offseason, the Ravens had an opening at nose tackle, and the 327-pound Jenkins fits the bill.
Jenkins will work in tandem with fourth-year defensive lineman Travis Jones, trying to sustain the Ravens' strength in the trenches. Baltimore held opponents to league lows in rushing yards per game (80.1) and yards per attempt (3.6) last season.
Even though Pierce's snap count dropped from 55% to 32% last season, he was still a major part of that equation and somebody that Jenkins emulates. Jenkins remembers studying Pierce on tape alongside his Las Vegas Raiders teammates last season and called him a "great player."
Unlike Pierce, who retired at 32 years old, Jenkins will turn 36 years old before Ravens training camp begins and still has the desire to play the game.
Jenkins was a full 17-game starter for the first time in his career each of the past two seasons with the Raiders. In 2023, he set a career high in snaps played (594) and tackles (61). Then he topped that with 609 snaps last season, more than any Ravens defensive lineman except Nnamdi Madubuike. Jenkins said he didn't know he played that many snaps.
"Probably the reason why I never knew is because we enjoyed being out there with each other – that cohesiveness and the brotherhood that we built over there [in Vegas]," Jenkins said. "And that is what we're doing here.
"I'm just here to help out the best way I can. Whatever God has in store for me, whatever the team believes is my perfect role, I'm just here to fulfill that."
Jenkins will likely see a significantly lighter workload in Baltimore because of Jones' presence. The Ravens expect Jones to become one of the NFL’s premier defensive tackles this season, and Jenkins echoes that belief.
"He can be a dominant player – extremely dominant. He's going to be that," Jenkins said. "I love his mindset on it. He reminds me of a former teammate, Akiem Hicks. Travis wants to be a special player. I see it. I just like his approach to the game with him being so young."
Pierce's retirement, though not unexpected, was still a hit to Baltimore's defensive line. Jenkins is a proven commodity to help offset the loss, both on the field and off it with his knowledge.
"I'm happy to be here," he said. "I'm happy that this organization decided to pursue me and thought I was good enough to play for them and where we're going to go, man."
