The game of coaching musical chairs continues around the NFL.
The Ravens were thrilled to make Jesse Minter the fourth head coach in franchise history last week, but former Baltimore offensive coordinator Todd Monken became the latest to find a seat by agreeing to become the new head man in Cleveland on Wednesday. Like many teams, the Ravens continue to wait for the head coaching dust to settle before finding their next offensive coordinator, which will be a critical hire since Minter’s expertise is on the other side of the ball. Baltimore obviously wants someone who will mesh well with two-time MVP quarterback Lamar Jackson.
Many names have been discussed, of course, but a few have been eliminated with Joe Brady being promoted to head coach in Buffalo and Mike MacDaniel and Brian Daboll accepting offensive coordinator gigs elsewhere this week. With Denver firing offensive coordinator Joe Lombardi, many now wonder if that means pass game coordinator and quarterbacks coach Davis Webb will simply accept a promotion there if he doesn’t get the head job in Las Vegas. And one report indicates Nathan Scheelhaase will now remain with the Los Angeles Rams after being a finalist for the Browns’ head job.
That’s not to say the list of candidates has dried up with former Arizona head coach Kliff Kingsbury still being available and Chicago offensive coordinator Declan Doyle — who doesn’t call plays for the Bears — recently being requested for an interview. The Ravens could also circle back with quarterbacks coach Tee Martin — who has a strong relationship with Jackson — or look more closely at candidates at the college level.
We will get official word from Minter in Thursday’s introductory press conference, but the expectation remains that he will call the defense on game days, which makes sense after the success he enjoyed leading the Los Angeles Chargers defense. Considering that responsibility as well as the reality that this is the first time he’s been a head coach at any level, one wonders if the Ravens should prioritize play-calling experience when hiring their new offensive coordinator.
For a team that has every intention of returning to top contender status in 2026, handing offensive play-calling duties to someone who hasn’t done it before is a risky proposition. After all, it was only two years ago that former defensive coordinator Zach Orr was entrusted with calling a defense for the first time at any level, and it’s safe to say that didn’t work out with the defense falling off substantially from where it was under Mike Macdonald. Even Macdonald dealt with some growing pains after becoming Baltimore’s defensive coordinator in 2022, and that came after a one-year apprenticeship in the same capacity at the University of Michigan.
No matter how successful Minter becomes as a head coach, some early hiccups are to be expected for anyone handling such immense responsibilities for the first time. Entrusting a first-time offensive play-caller on top of that would be a lot to ask for a team aiming to get to a Super Bowl as soon as possible.
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New assistants on board
While the outside focus remains on the offensive coordinator search, Minter and the Ravens haven’t wasted time working on putting together the rest of the staff.
The hiring of defensive pass game coordinator and defensive backs coach Mike Mickens has been highly regarded after his successful run at Notre Dame. Not only is Mickens very familiar with All-Pro safety Kyle Hamilton after their time together in South Bend, but he played at the University of Cincinnati when Minter was a graduate assistant there, which explains a connection that also included a stint coaching together at Indiana State in 2012.
According to The Athletic, Baltimore has also finalized a deal with offensive line coach Dwayne Ledford and will retain inside linebackers coach Tyler Santucci from last year’s staff. Ledford spent the last four years in Atlanta and is regarded as one of the NFL’s better offensive line coaches, and Santucci did a solid job developing young inside linebackers Teddye Buchanan and Trenton Simpson this past season.
