Former Baltimore Ravens linebacker and special teams captain Chris Board has agreed to a two-year deal worth up to $6 million with the New York Giants, NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero reports.
Board, 29, has been primarily a special teams player throughout his career, but he’s very good at what he does. The Orlando, Florida native has logged over 300 special teams snaps in six of his seven NFL seasons, and he had 293 in the one he didn’t.
On defense, Board has started just four of the 114 regular-season games he’s appeared in. He has 155 total tackles, five tackles for loss, 3.5 sacks, three passes defended and three forced fumbles in his career.
Late this season, though Board began to see more regular action on defense. With Trenton Simpson benched, Board and Malik Harrison formed a bit of a rotation next to Roquan Smith, the former being used more in passing situations and the latter being used more against the run. He tied his career-high in defensive snaps with 37 against the Los Angeles Chargers in Week 12, a game that Smith missed due to injury.
This was Board’s second stint with the Ravens, as he originally joined them as an undrafted free agent out of North Dakota State in 2018. He spent one year each with the Detroit Lions in 2022 and New England Patriots in 2023.
The Ravens have now lost two linebackers on the first day of free agency, as Harrison signed with the rival Pittsburgh Steelers earlier Monday. Smith and Simpson are now the only inside linebackers on the roster, though, practice squad linebacker Kristian Welch remains unsigned at the time of publication.
