Ravens Using Veteran DE as Inspiration
![Oct 1, 2023; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Baltimore Ravens defensive end Brent Urban (97) celebrates during the second half against the Cleveland Browns at Cleveland Browns Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 1, 2023; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Baltimore Ravens defensive end Brent Urban (97) celebrates during the second half against the Cleveland Browns at Cleveland Browns Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_crop,w_3902,h_2194,x_0,y_0/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/images/ImagnImages/mmsport/raven_country/01j4f0akzxkhsr38tvt1.jpg)
As Baltimore Ravens defensive end Brent Urban prepares for his 11th NFL season, it's just as important as ever for him to remember where he came from.
A Mississauga, Ontario native, Urban suffered a torn ACL during his 2010 freshman season at Virginia, but rebounded to eventually become a starting defensive lineman. Then once he got to the NFL, he suffered three season-ending injuries - a torn ACL in 2014, a torn bicep in 2015 and a Lisfranc foot injury in 2017 - all in his first four seasons. As a result, he played just 25 games across those four seasons, 16 of them coming in 2016.
Urban, now in his second stint with the Ravens, has certainly been through the wringer throughout his career, but his perserverance to get where he is now is extremely impressive. As such, head coach John Harbaugh is using Urban's story as inspiration for his younger teammates.
"I'm going to start using [Brent Urban] as an example for those guys, because it's a perfect point," Harbaugh told reporters. "I can remember him right over there, we were doing an inside-run drill against the [San Francisco] 49ers when we had the joint practices all of those years ago, and he tore his ACL right at the end of practice. It was like, 'Oh.' It was so heartbreaking, and [he] missed that whole year.
"We had high hopes for him coming out, we thought he was an odd-front defensive end in the Pittsburgh Steeler kind of realm, like the Brett Keisels of the world, and he's turned out to be just that. He's just that kind of player; he plays so well. But those first couple of years were tough, and here he is now. He's got a testimony as a result of all the tests he's been through."
After his first stint with the Ravens came to an end in 2019, Urban has played for the Tennessee Titans, Chicago Bears and Dallas Cowboys. He then returned to Baltimore in 2022, and last season, he set a career high with three sacks.
Now the veteran on the Ravens' defensive line, Urban is happy to be a mentor to the younger players at his position group.
"Just being in the league is privilege," Urban said. "Every single day, you've just got to relish it, because you see so many guys in and out, and just even looking at my class now, nobody's still around; so just finding your own role, just appreciating it. As I get older, I've started to be able to take a seat back and really just appreciate how thankful I am to be here."