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After just one year as a Dallas Cowboys player, an established NFL veteran is set for a reunion with his first NFL team, the Baltimore Ravens.
Defensive end Brent Urban spent four seasons with the Ravens from 2015 to 2018, and it now appears the NFL veteran is headed back. Urban spent the 2021 season with Dallas but didn’t exactly make a firm impact on a one-year deal.
Interestingly enough, Urban’s wife, Kate, was the one to “break” the news on Twitter on May 20, throwing in a sly mention of ESPN reporter Adam Schefter in the process.
“Sources: Former #Cowboys DL Brent Urban has agreed to terms with the #Ravens on a 1-year deal. @AdamSchefter” Kate Urban Tweeted.
Sources: Former #Cowboys DL Brent Urban has agreed to terms with the #Ravens on a 1-year deal. 😉 @AdamSchefter
Urban just turned 31-years-old this May and is entering his eighth NFL season. His only year with the Cowboys didn’t light up box scores, but he is a proven veteran that still started four games last year.
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Urban’s NFL Career
Hailing from Mississauga, Ontario, the Canadian defensive lineman went to school at Virginia and played for three seasons. While he only totaled 3.0 sacks in his college career according to SR, his 11 tackles for loss in his senior season proved that he had the ability to stop the run at a high level.
Of course, Urban is 6-foot-7 and 295 pounds, which helps. His stature plus his senior season in Charlottesville appealed to NFL teams, and the Ravens selected him in the fourth round of the 2015 NFL draft.
As a run-focused defensive tackle, Urban has never racked up sacks or tackles. What he excels at is taking up space and pushing offensive linemen back off the line of scrimmage. Over the course of his seven-year career, Urban has totaled 6.0 sacks, 10 tackles for loss and 9 passes defended according to Pro Football Reference.
After four years in Baltimore, Urban spent 2019 with the Chicago Bears and Tennessee Titans before spending all of 2020 with Chicago. He then arrived in Dallas in 2021, where he started four games, but made just 3 tackles and 1 pass defended.
Part of the reason Urban’s time with Dallas was short and uneventful was that he suffered a triceps injury that placed him on injured reserve in late October. It’s not like Urban was an impact player beforehand, but it’s always unfortunate when a season is cut short.
Cowboys’ Defensive Tackle Group
As Heavy has previously written, Dallas utilized Urban as a defensive tackle. He was primarily a DE when he first played for Baltimore, so he could switch back. But in terms of looking forward at the Cowboys’ defensive line, the focus is the hole Urban leaves at DT.
In 2021, Urban primarily rotated with Carlos Watkins and Osa Odighizuwa. With Urban on the outs, those two will have even more prominent roles, save for a rise from one of the team’s young defenders.
One name that could potentially take Urban’s spot is John Ridgeway, the defensive lineman the Cowboys drafted in the fifth round of the 2022 NFL draft. At 6-foot-6 and 320 pounds, Ridgeway is a massive man and somewhat fits the mold of Urban.
Plus, he’s coming from Dallas owner Jerry Jones’ alma mater, Arkansas.
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Ex-Cowboys DL Signing With Ravens in Free Agency: Report