What will Michael Pierce add to the Vikings defense?
By Dean Jones
Pierce’s NFL career so far
Michael Pierce deserves a tremendous amount of credit for rising from relative obscurity to a starting role in the NFL. The Baltimore Ravens took a flyer on the undrafted rookie in 2016 and were rewarded with four seasons of good production.
Although Pierce only started one game in his first pro season, he played in all 16 regular-season contests and 36 percent of the team’s defensive snaps. He made the most out of the opportunity on his way to 35 total tackles and two sacks.
His sophomore year was equally impressive and saw his time on the field rise to 54.5 percent of snaps, which is a career-high to date. Pierce was a commanding presence on the interior and ended the 2017 campaign with 49 tackles, a sack, and two fumble recoveries.
The 27-year-old took a backward step in 2018 and started just two of 14 games for which he was available. This saw his production decrease and it is the only season where Pierce has failed to generate a sack.
He played 44 percent of snaps and notched 32 tackles. Pierce responded well to a down year to make a telling contribution in the trenches for a Baltimore team that was one of the best in the NFL in 2019.
With 35 tackles and half a sack from 49 percent of defensive snaps, Pierce emerged as a fine two-down back in a contract year that saw him primed for free agent interest.