Terrell Suggs - Hall Induction Soon? Or Will he Wait a While?

By John Turney 

We've all heard the cautionary tale about 40-yard dash times, with Hall-of-Famer Jerry Rice the go-to example for fans and media. His draft stock fell in 1985 because he ran a 4.7-second 40 ... and we all know what happened. If a coin were minted for cautionary tales, Rice would be on the "heads" side.

But on the flip side, you could make a case for Terrell Suggs, the Ravens' edge rusher who's among 15 finalists for the Pro Football Hall-of-Fame's Class of 2025. After a stellar career at Arizona State, there was talk that he might be the second or third overall pick because he was what everyone wanted as an outside rusher.

Until, that is, he started to run 40-yard dashes.

Coaches like their edge guys to run 4.6 or faster, though a 4.7 time is acceptable. But going into the 2003 NFL draft, Suggs was struggling to break 4.8. He was running anywhere from the mid- 4.7s to high-4.8s, and, as a result, his stock fell.

Out of the top three. Out of the top five. Almost out of the top ten. 

But then-Ravens' general manager Ozzie Newsome wasn't buying that nonsense. He saw the talent of a player who was a unanimous All-American and won the Bill Willis Trophy (the Nation's top defensive lineman), the Nagurski (top defensive player) and Lombardi (best collegiate player) Awards and who set an NCAA record for sacks with 24.

That's what Suggs achieved as a senior at Arizona State in 2002.

So, when it was time for Baltimore to pick, Ozzie grabbed the man called "T-Sizzle" with the 10th overall choice and never regretted his decision. With 12 sacks in his first season, Suggs was the league's Defensive Rookie of the Year. He later would become one of the elite pass rushers of his -- or any -- era and one-third of what may be the best edge rusher-linebacker-defensive back trios in the history of the game. joining Ed Reed and Ray Lewis.

Both are Hall of Famers, and Suggs will be one, too --probably sooner rather than later.

Over the course of 17 seasons, 16 with the Ravens, he was part of one of the NFL's top defenses. When he was drafted, Suggs called Baltimore a "defensive kingdom," and the description fit. In his 16 years with the Ravens, the defense allowed the NFL's second-fewest points, second-fewest rushing yards, third-fewest passing yards and second-fewest total yards.

In short, we're talking about one of the NFL's greatest sustained defenses.

In addition, the Ravens racked up the fourth-most sacks in the league, with Suggs producing a franchise-best 132-1/2. He had another 6-1/2 after leaving the team in 2019, upping his total to 139 -- a figure that places him eighth all-time since sacks became an official statistic in 1982. Seven times he recorded double-digit sack seasons, with nine-and-a-half in another year.

But it wasn't just pressures and sacks that made Suggs so valuable. He was more than a pass rusher. He was a complete player who was a force against the run, too. Consider that, of all the pure edge players (defensive ends and rushing outside linebackers) who played since 1993, none had more tackles (895) than Suggs. Michael Strahan had 854; Jason Taylor had 778 and Julius Peppers, 719.

All of them are Hall of Famers.

But the more telling figure is the number of tackles Suggs had behind the line of scrimmage. It was a lot. Now, remember: These are tackles for losses other than sacks. Per PFJ research Suggs finished his career with 100-1/2 of these "stuffs" - the name (then) Stats, Inc. game them.

In fact, a quick look at recent edge players inducted into the Hall reveals just how far Suggs was ahead of the field: 

--Michael Strahan had 88.

-- Jason Taylor had 76.

-- DeMarcus Ware had 67-1/2.

-- Julius Peppers had 62-1/2.

-- Dwight Freeney had just 39.

All those players were either first-or-second-ballot Hall of Famers. 

As you might guess, when you add career sacks and stuffs, Suggs is first among all post-1993 edge rushers with a combined 239-1/2. Strahan is next with 229-1/2, followed by Peppers (222-1/2) and Taylor (215-1/2). DeMarcus Ware 's total was 2006 and Dwight Freeney had 164-1/2. So the numbers prove that Suggs' productivity stacks up with the best of the best -- players with busts in Canton. 

But there's more. He played 244 games, starting 226. He forced 37 fumbles, intercepted seven passes and was credited with defensing 68 more. He also scored three defensive touchdowns and recorded a safety. 

"He's been a great player for as long as he's been in the league," Tom Brady said of Suggs. "He just does a lot of things really well. He's got all the rush moves, he drops into coverage, he bats down balls, he [crushes] the tight ends coming off the line of scrimmage. It's not just sacking the quarterback like most defensive ends; he makes plays in a lot of ways."

But numbers are one thing; winning is another. And winning was Suggs' passion and goal. 

In 2012, he was part of the Ravens' Super Bowl XLVII victory over the San Francisco 49ers, which earned him his first ring. Seven years later, Kansas City acquired him late in his final season to bolster the Chiefs' pass rush for a playoff run. He responded with 13 pressures in five games (including a sack), with a team-leading four in a Super Bowl LIV defeat of the 49ers. In 21 playoff games, Suggs produced 12-1/2 postseason sacks, tying him for fifth all-time since 1951 (per Pro Football Reference). 

As we're on the topic of playoff statistics, I will also mention that -- since 1994 -- only two players forced more fumbles than Suggs' four. Furthermore, his "splash" plays mattered. For example, in the 2014 AFC playoffs, he picked off a pass by pinning the football between his knees and rolled on the ground. Some call it the "Thighmaster" interception. Then, in a 33-14 wild card thumping of the Patriots, Suggs strip-sacked Tom Brady and fell on the fumble, setting up the Ravens' second touchdown in an unexpected runaway.

While his achievements speak for themselves, they should be considered in a broader context: Twice Suggs missed significant time with torn Achilles tendons, and twice he rebounded. He missed half of the 2012 season after tearing his right Achilles in the offseason. Then, three years later, the left one ruptured in the Ravens’ 2015 season opener. 

With the first, he was ready to go by midseason, far sooner than expected. With the second, he returned the following year to record eight sacks. Then, in 2017, he went on to produce 11 and was named to his seventh Pro Bowl ... at the age of 35.

So what's missing? I'm about to get there. If there's a weakness in his Hall-of-Fame case, it's this: He was a first-team All-Pro only once (2011) and a second-team only once (2008), too. Granted, that's somewhat light compared to his peers, but he does have extra gravitas as the 2011 NFL Defensive Player of the Year. So he can claim not only to have been the best at his position that year but the best defender, regardless of position.

Few can ever say that.

"He's got it all;" former All-Pro tackle Andrew Whitworth once said. " He's ripped-up, he's big, he's fast, he's strong, he is intimidating looking, and he plays the same way ... He's the guy that you wouldn't want to have to square off in a small area with, that's for sure ... he's one of those ultimate talents."

Hall-of-Fame tackle Joe Thomas agreed,

"He is obviously one of the all-time great outside linebackers in our game," he told Ravens.com. "He and I have had a lot of great battles. They have a great defense for even way longer than I have been in the NFL ... The toughness that he shows week-in and week-out out there playing with a torn biceps is pretty amazing."

Thomas was referring to the 2016 season when Suggs missed only one game because of a torn biceps. For some, the injury would have sidelined them a considerable period of time. Not for Suggs.

"I come from an era where this is just a bump in the road," he told ESPN. "It may be season-ending for somebody else. It's not season-ending for a Raven."

So there you have it. A strong Hall case for a strong player. Strong against the pass. Strong vs. the run. Strong in the face of pain. Strong in the eyes of opponents. Terrell Suggs may not be one of this year's inductees to Canton, but it won't be long before he is. That's because there's still a place in the Pro Football Hall of Fame for edge players who were effective in all phases of the game.

Terrell Suggs not only qualifies. He heads the list.

Suggs' career stats—

Comparison Charts of recent selected edge rushers—