BALTIMORE - For so long, they had been the two faces of one of the league's most dominant defenses, Ray Lewis the punishing tackler and Ed Reed the unrelenting ball hawk. Now, they are both gone and the mass exodus from the Ravens defense continues.

About six weeks after Lewis retired following his last game as a Raven, Reed moved closer to signing a two-year deal with the Houston Texans, who aggressively pursued the 34-year-old safety during the last week. Terms of the deal aren't known and there are still a few things that have to be worked out, but it's clear that Reed and the organization that he had played with for the last 11 years have parted ways.

"Ed is a great guy and a very good friend," Ravens coach John Harbaugh said Wednesday night. "We will always appreciate what he accomplished as a Raven. He has a lot of good football left and we wish him all the best."

Reed said repeatedly that he wanted to remain with the Ravens, though he found more money and seemingly more interest elsewhere. The Texans, looking for veteran leadership and a safety to replace Glover Quin, brought him to Houston on their owner's private plane and wooed him over a two-day visit. Reed's agent, David Dunn, reportedly met with Texans officials multiple times during this week's NFL meetings.

The Ravens maintained that they were interested in bringing back the nine-time Pro Bowl selection, and Harbaugh texted with him regularly during the offseason. However, there was no other indication that they were aggressively pursuing re-signing him. In an interview with The Baltimore Sun on Monday, owner Steve Bisciotti downplayed the notion that the team could ill afford to lose both Lewis and Reed in the same offseason.

"I don't think the same offseason matters much. I don't think losing Ed Reed next year would hurt any worse," he said. "We are in a certain salary cap predicament, we're making commitments to young guys in their second contracts and like (the traded Anquan Boldin), Ed will found out what the market is and he'll communicate to (General Manager Ozzie Newsome) whether he's willing to come back for Ozzie's number or whether he'll get more on the open market, and if the difference is enough that Ed is willing to go to another city at this stage of his career."

Reed becomes the sixth key defensive player to leave the Ravens following their Super Bowl XLVII victory and the seventh starter overall. His departure and the release of Bernard Pollard leave the Ravens without their two starting safeties from last season. They did re-sign veteran James Ihedigbo but have no one else at the position with significant experience. They are planning to bring in former Oakland Raiders safety Michael Huff on a free agent visit over the next few days.

Reed departs after his crowning moment as a player: the Ravens' 34-31 Super Bowl victory over the San Francisco 49ers. That his first title came in New Orleans, less than a half hour from where he grew up in Louisiana, only added to the moment for Reed.

No Raven appeared to enjoy the victory as much as the enigmatic safety, who spent the victory parade in Baltimore letting the fans touch the Lombardi Trophy and singing Eddie Money's "Two Tickets to Paradise." In the days that followed, Reed participated in a Mardi Gras-themed parade in New Orleans and was a media correspondent for the Academy Awards. He also made it clear that he wanted to return to the Ravens and finish his career in Baltimore, but it was not to be.