Baltimore Ravens honor former players Alex Collins, Ryan Mallett before Week 1 game

The Baltimore Ravens honored former players Alex Collins and Ryan Mallett before their Week 1 game against the Houston Texans on Sunday.

Collins, a running back for Baltimore in 2017 and 2018, and Mallett, a quarterback for the Ravens from 2016-18, both passed away in unrelated accidents during the NFL’s offseason.

The Ravens had a moment of silence for the two former Arkansas Razorbacks while displaying their photos on the jumbotron in M&T Stadium.

Moment of silence for two forever Ravens 💜 pic.twitter.com/HlB11lLTv8

— Baltimore Ravens (@Ravens) September 10, 2023

Collins passed away in mid-August after being involved in a motorcycle accident. The incident occurred in his home state of Florida. Following his time at Arkansas, Collins made the move to the NFL and had most recently played for the Seattle Seahawks in 2021. The death is still under investigation per the Broward County Sheriff’s Office.

Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson shared his thoughts on his old teammate’s passing before the season.

“AC, that’s my boy, he’s from Broward County too,” Jackson said. “He was here my rookie year, we was always chatting, playing around, stuff like that in the locker room. Great energy, great guy to be around. Just sorry for the loss, you know, and especially to his family, because he was a great guy.”

Razorbacks honor Mallett, Collins

As for Mallett, he played quarterback under head coach Bobby Petrino at Arkansas before heading to the NFL. Mallett led Arkansas to a 10-win season in 2010 and faced off against Ohio State in the Sugar Bowl. New England drafted him coming out of college but Mallett also played for Baltimore and Houston.

Mallett passed away in a drowning incident in late June. The former NFL QB and a group of others were swimming in the Gulf of Mexico offshore from Gulf Shore Drive when they began struggling, according to a tweet from the Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office. Mallett was seen going under the water at that point.

By the time he was rescued and brought to shore, he was not breathing and life-saving attempts were unsuccessful, according to the first responders.

Prior to his passing, Mallett had become the head football coach at White Hall High School in Arkansas.

The Razorbacks also honored their former players at their home game on Saturday versus Kent State. Both former Hogs had their numbers painted onto the sidelines at DWR Razorbacks Stadium.