OWINGS MILLS — Ravens general manager Eric DeCosta approached undrafted rookie safety Beau Brade in practice and congratulated him on a solid offseason.
DeCosta then informed Brade that he had made the final 53-man roster and there were tears of joy from the family.
Brade grew up as a Ravens fan living in Howard County and attending River Hill High School. While playing youth and high school football, he dreamed that one day he could play for the team like his idols Ray Lewis and Ed Reed.
When was not selected in this year’s NFL draft as a safety at the University of Maryland, he decided to sign with the Ravens as an undrafted free agent.
After dealing with some nagging injuries in the offseason workouts, Brade was healthy for training camp and caught the attention of his coaches by his hard-nosed play. That performance earned him a spot on the roster.
“Every kid around here, if you were a Ravens fan, you dreamed to be on the Ravens,” Brade said. “I grew up watching Ray Lewis [and] Ed Reed. I was watching the Super Bowl [in 2012]. I was born in 2002, so after 2009 to now, I’ve just been watching the Ravens; I’ve been a fan of them. It’s been a dream. When I used to play Madden, I used to put myself at running back, so it was my dream to play running back. I dreamed of it, but couldn’t really imagine it, so this has been amazing – an amazing experience. It’s been better than I could have ever expected, and [it’s] just a dream come true, so I’ve got to make the most of it.”
Brade was an All-Big Ten honorable mention in his final two seasons at Maryland. Last season, he started all 12 games and led the team in tackles (75) for the second straight season.
Brade ranked second on Maryland with six pass breakups, four tackles for loss, a forced fumble, and an interception. He was part of Maryland teams that earned three bowl victories over his time at College Park.
Brade, 6 feet, 203 pounds, was projected to be a third-day draft selection by several pundits. ESPN ranked Brade as the fifth-ranked safety in this NFL draft. It was a humbling experience not getting taken by an NFL team but Brade quickly shifted his focus to making the Ravens.
“Going into the draft, I thought I was going to get drafted; [I] didn’t really think there was a doubt about that,” Brade said. “So, putting those expectations on myself and [that] it was going to happen was me not being fair to myself, so after that didn’t happen, I just had to move on right away. When I chose to come here, I knew I had to prove myself to everybody in the league, and that’s what I’m trying to do.
“Coming out here – we have the best secondary in the nation, and being able to play with these guys and competing for a job, but not trying to play against them – I’m really trying to learn from them.”
Ravens coach John Harbaugh was impressed by Brade’s tenacity to make the team. The fact that he is a local player makes it even more special for the franchise and the Brade family.
“Growing up here in Maryland and everything, that’s a big deal,” Harbaugh said. “We appreciate the ‘Terps’ [Maryland Terrapins], we appreciate the program over there [and] all of the programs over there. That’s big. More than that, individually, you’re really happy for these guys that make it. He’s an undrafted free agent who just made an NFL football team. That’s a big deal. And he did it the hard way, he earned it. He made plays, and he’s very diligent, and he’s going to get his opportunity this season to play some NFL football, and I think he’s going to do very well.”