After being a finalist for the head coach position that ultimately went to Jesse Minter, Anthony Weaver is set to return to the Ravens as their new defensive coordinator.
Weaver, 45, will become the 10th defensive coordinator in franchise history and will follow Zach Orr as just the second to have also played for the Ravens after spending the last two seasons as Miami’s defensive coordinator. Though Weaver’s first coaching stint in Baltimore (2021-23) just missed Minter’s initial run as an assistant from 2017-20, the former is highly regarded by members of the organization going back to when he was selected in the second round of the 2002 draft out of Notre Dame and played four seasons for the Ravens. It helps that both have worked closely with ex-Ravens defensive coordinator Mike Macdonald in the past, so there should be few questions about their defensive philosophies being on the same page.
This will be Weaver’s third defensive coordinator job — he also served in that capacity for Houston in 2020 — after he interviewed with four other teams in addition to Baltimore for head coach openings in this hiring cycle. In addition to coaching the defensive line in his first stint as an assistant with the Ravens, he was the assistant head coach for two seasons before John Harbaugh promoted Orr to defensive coordinator after the 2023 campaign and Weaver exited to join the Dolphins. Miami ranked 22nd in yards allowed and 24th in points allowed this past season after finishing fourth and 10th respectively in those categories in Weaver’s first season in charge of the Dolphins’ defense.
While the Ravens certainly value Weaver’s experience as a coordinator and former player as well as his defensive line coaching background, Minter has already confirmed his intentions to call the defense on game days. But given the great scope of responsibilities the 42-year-old Minter will now have as a first-time head coach, Weaver’s work will be critical when it comes to constructing the game plan and conveying that message to the defense over the course of the week to allow for seamless success on game days.
“I do plan on calling the defense. I think that’s a strength of mine,” Minter said last week. “I think that’s one of the reasons I’m sitting here, but I also think it’s my leadership qualities. I have a really good process to do what I need to do to be ready to call the game, but I also have the ability to be the head coach and to impact the entire roster — the entire team — and make sure that it’s our offense, our defense, our special teams, and that there’s no divide there. I know that I’m in charge of all that, but it really starts with the relationships with the people in the building, particularly the players.”
That relationship with Weaver will also be of the utmost importance.
In addition to striking an agreement with Weaver on Monday, the Ravens made the hiring of new offensive coordinator Declan Doyle official.
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“An architect of offense, Declan will build around our players through communication, collaboration, relationships, and trust,” Minter said in a statement released by the team. “His innovative mindset, collaborative spirit, team-first approach, and extensive NFL experience make him an outstanding addition to the Ravens organization.”
The Ravens also announced the previously reported hirings of offensive line coach and run game coordinator Dwayne Ledford, secondary coach and pass game coordinator Mike Mickens, and game management coordinator and defensive assistant Charlie Gelman. They confirmed the retention of inside linebackers coach Tyler Santucci, who joined Harbaugh’s staff last season.
