After becoming a surprise undrafted free agent following the 2024 NFL Draft, former Maryland safety Beau Brade quickly agreed to a deal with the hometown Baltimore Ravens with a chance to make the ultimate 53-man roster. And after wrapping up his first preseason on Saturday, Brade continued to make his case to make the 53-man roster.
One week after leading the Ravens’ defense with eight total tackles in addition to an overturned interception in a 13-12 win vs. Atlanta, Beau Brade was one of the few bright spots after finishing with a game-high eight tackles and one tackle for loss in Saturday’s 30-7 loss vs. Green Bay. And although he’s in a camp battle alongside another Big Ten defender, Ravens’ staff writer Clifton Brown projected Brade to make the 53-man roster following the preseason finale.
“Brade, a former Maryland standout, could be this year’s only undrafted rookie to make the 53-man roster. It seems like a close call between Brade and seventh-round pick Sanoussi Kane, who both saw significant action on Saturday,” he wrote.
“I think [Beau and fellow rookie safety Sanoussi Kane have] shown flashes of physicality, both on defense and special teams,” Ravens head coach John Harbaugh said. “They’ve shown up here and there, pretty well today, even. [It’s a] big-picture evaluation. Again, you have to see all of the plays to have a feel for that, but they did flash a few times.”
Brade is the latest defensive back out of Maryland to get his shot in the NFL with Deonte Banks (Giants), Jakorian Bennett (Raiders), Nick Cross (Colts) and Tarheeb Still (Chargers) wrapping up their first preseason while Ja’Quan Sheppard (Raiders) looks to make his case for the 53-man roster. But after suffering an ankle injury that sidelined Brade for his first workouts in Baltimore, the hard-hitting safety has made up for lost time after routinely flashing through preseason. After shining at River Hill (MD) before signing with Maryland as a three-star prospect, the hometown star has drawn buzz through August as a strong candidate to make the final cuts as Brade was named one of five players to watch heading into Saturday’s preseason finale.
“My head was just spinning. I didn’t know where to go,” Brade said. “But being from Maryland, I was always a Ravens fan. They have the best organization in the world here, best owner, best GM, best coaches. I just feel like this is the best spot for me, a place where I feel like I could make myself better, and I could surround myself with guys around me to make me better. And I just really felt like I could help the team too.”
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