Ravens Legend Named Second Best Safety Of All Time

Ed Reed remains an icon for the Baltimore Ravens and the NFL as a whole.

August 23, 2012;Baltimore, MD, USA; Baltimore Ravens safety Ed Reed (20) runs onto the field prior to the game against the Jacksonville Jaguars at M&T Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Evan Habeeb-USA TODAY Sports / Evan Habeeb-USA TODAY Sports

Multiple former Baltimore Ravens players have an argument for the greatest of all time at their positions, with safety Ed Reed being a prime example.

A 2002 first-round pick out of Miami, Reed was nothing short of dominant during his 11-year run in Baltimore. His list of accolades, which includes a Defensive Player of the Year award and a Super Bowl championship, is a mile long, and he's easily one of the greatest players to ever wear purple and black.

But where does he rank among safeties all-time? According to Ian Valentino of The 33rd Team, Reed is the second greatest safety to ever play, only behind longtime San Francisco 49ers star Ronnie Lott.

"The best safety of the last 25 years is an easy call," Valentino writes. "Ed Reed embodies the perfect modern safety, boasting legendary football IQ, closing speed, ball-hawking instincts, and playmaking. In 12 seasons, he made nine Pro Bowls and five First-Team All-Pro teams, won a Super Bowl, earned the Defensive Player of the Year Award, the Defensive Rookie of the Year Award, and made the All-2000s Team.

"The NFL's all-time leader in interception return yardage, Reed was a tremendously influently free safety. He produced 64 interceptions, seven defensive touchdowns, 139 pass breakups, 11 forced fumbles, and 646 tackles. He and Ray Lewis defined the Baltimore Ravens' incredible defense throughout their overlapping careers."

In contrast to Reed, who was a safety from the very beginning, Lott moved over from cornerback after four seasons and continued to dominate at his new position. That, along with him being a much harder hitter than Reed, probably gave him the edge in this ranking.

That said, Lott is a massive fan of Reed's game despite the differences from his own, as he revealed in a 2021 interview with Sportsnaut.

"But when you say Ed Reed, and I told Ed this, watching him play, arguably the best offensive-minded defensive player. Meaning, when he got a chance to catch the ball, he was scoring," Lott said. "And he constantly forced the offense by putting pressure on them, knowing that any time he could get an interception, he was going to make them pay for it and make them pay by scoring. So, to me, I've always felt like he's one of the best ever. So, I would rank him a little bit higher due to the fact that, man, what he did in terms of putting points on the board."

More than a decade after Reed's retirement, the Ravens' legacy of incredible safety play continues with All-Pro Kyle Hamilton leading the way. Perhaps when all is said and done, Hamilton could find himself in this same conversation one day.

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