Trevor Pryce nearly worked himself to death during the offseason.

“Seriously, I swam with 50 pounds of weights on [my] back. I almost drown in five feet of water,” he said. “But the things that I do to keep me in shape allow me to come out here and run around kind of crazy.”

And that’s exactly what the Ravens want from their defensive end after the 6-foot-5, 290-pounder had his season destroyed last year, as a broken wrist and torn pectoral muscle limited him to just five games.

Pryce recovered in Denver, where he spent the offseason working with Steve Hess, the strength and conditioning coach of the NBA’s Denver Nuggets who Pryce said trained him “like a basketball player.”

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He ran, swam, rode a bicycle and even played soccer to the point of exhaustion. The workouts appeared to have paid off for Pryce, who signed a five-year, $25 million deal with the Ravens in 2006 after the four-time Pro Bowl selection spent nine years with the Denver Broncos.

Pryce arrived in training camp in the best shape of his life — so physically fit he filled in at defensive back during the first two days of practice when just rookies, quarterbacks and injured veterans were on the field at McDaniel College in Westminster.

“I think because I’m light right now, I’m actually stronger than I have ever been,” he said. “I hate saying that I feel young because that’s such a stupid thing to say. When someone says that, I think they’re trying to make an excuse.”

Pryce is hoping to return to the form he had in 2006 when he had a career-high 13 sacks and 73 tackles. Last season, he had just 19 tackles and two sacks. Pryce’s absence decimated the pass rush, as the team had just 32 sacks last season after recording 60 when it went 13-3 in 2006. The Ravens also allowed 24 points per game last season — 22nd in the league — a year after holding opponents to an NFL-low 12.6.

“[Trevor] looks outstanding,” Ravens defensive coordinator Rex Ryan said. “It’s amazing all the years he’s played, and yet he’s a little kid or a young man mentality-wise.”

But Pryce also is a leader on a unit which is counting on inexperienced players to play major roles, including third-year nose tackle Haloti Ngata.

“Having [Pryce] is just great,” Ngata said. “Having his leadership and the way he sets an example to the younger guys makes it great for him to be out there.”

rsnyder@baltimoreexaminer.com