Ravens Poach Longtime Starter Amid ‘Need for Better Play’ at ILB

Bryan M. Bennett/Getty Images A.J. Klein of the Buffalo Bills after forcing a sack-fumble of quarterback Russell Wilson of the Seattle Seahawks on November 8, 2020.

On Thursday Oct. 6 the Baltimore Ravens signed a veteran linebacker off the New York Giants practice squad. The move was first reported by Jeremy Fowler of ESPN and subsequently announced by the Ravens, who have added him to the team’s 53-man roster.

A.J. Klein is a Former 5th-Round Pick of the Panthers

Klein, 31, has been in the NFL since he was a fifth-round pick of the Carolina Panthers in 2013 out of Iowa State.

He spent the first four years of his career with the Panthers before he signed a three-year, $15 million contract with the New Orleans Saints as an unrestricted free agent in 2017.

Klein started at least 12 games in each of the three years he played inside linebacker for the Saints, before starting 15 more games for the Buffalo Bills in 2020-21, having inked a three-year, $18 million deal with Buffalo in free agency.

He had arguably the best season of his career with the Bills in 2020, when he was responsible for 75 tackles and five sacks and was named AFC Defensive Player of the Week for his performance against the Chargers that season. But the Bills cut him in March as part of a cost-cutting initiative that saved his $4.2 million salary for 2022. He remained out of work until he joined the Giants’ practice squad on Oct. 3.

All told, Klein has played in 134 career games (with 80 starts), as per Pro Football Reference. During those games he has been credited with a total of 449 tackles (307 solo), including 43 tackles for loss, 15.5 sacks and 27 quarterback hits, along with four interceptions, 20 passes defensed, eight forced fumbles and four fumble recoveries. And while he has played in at least 29% of his team’s defensive snaps in every year since he was a rookie, he also has logged a lot of time on special teams — a total of 1,670 special teams snaps over the course of his career.

Klein, who wore No. 54 with the Bills, will wear jersey No. 59 with Baltimore, as seen in the following clip from Ravens practice on Thursday.

How A.J. Klein Fits With the Ravens

Baltimore has been in the market for linebacker help this week, after the “Ravens again lacked consistent and impact play from their inside linebackers” this past Sunday, noted Jeff Zrebiec in The Athletic. Even the team’s official website echoed Zrebiec’s words, citing the “need for better play” from that one particular position group.

On Tuesday the Ravens held a tryout for former New York Jets and New England Patriots linebacker Harvey Langi, but he went unsigned.

With the addition of Klein, the Ravens have an experienced veteran who can serve as primary backup to starters Patrick Queen and Josh Bynes, while Kristian Welch and Del’Shawn Phillips figure to remain in backup roles, as they have played almost exclusively on special teams.

The unit lost a promising rookie in Week 2 of the regular-season when undrafted free agent Josh Ross suffered a foot injury against the Dolphins that landed him on injured reserve. Ross was the only rookie UDFA to earn a place on Baltimore’s initial 53-man roster.

The group also lost the services of Malik Harrison after he was moved to outside linebacker in the wake of injuries at that position.