Just as the Ravens seem to be narrowing their search to find the fourth head coach in franchise history, Buffalo threw a major wrench into a hiring cycle that appeared to be taking shape over the weekend.
Baltimore completed its 16th official interview by talking with Jacksonville defensive coordinator Anthony Campanile Monday and will have a second interview with Miami defensive coordinator and ex-Ravens assistant Anthony Weaver on Tuesday, but the Bills firing Sean McDermott on Monday morning certainly altered the head coaching landscape in the aftermath of the New York Giants (John Harbaugh) and Atlanta (Kevin Stefanski) finalizing hirings over the weekend. And with the opportunity to coach MVP quarterback Josh Allen now out there, the overwhelming perception of the Ravens — with two-time MVP Lamar Jackson — having the best opening is now up for some debate at least.
Coke or Pepsi?
None of that is to suggest general manager Eric DeCosta and owner Steve Bisciotti will — or should — expedite their search in fear of a given candidate possibly finding the Bills job more appealing. There’s simply no need to rush such a critical decision, especially considering five of Baltimore’s first-round candidates — Vance Joseph, Davis Webb, Klint Kubiak, Chris Shula, and Nathan Scheelhaase — are still coaching for teams playing in the conference championship games and won’t be eligible for in-person second interviews until next week.
Of course, there’s also a chance that the Ravens will want to speak to McDermott, who was unable to get Buffalo over the January hump despite also having one of the NFL’s best quarterbacks. Like Pittsburgh last week, the Bills will have to play catch-up in the search process compared to teams like the Ravens that fired their head coaches at the end of the regular season.
The ten head coach changes — nine firings and Mike Tomlin’s resignation after 19 years with the Steelers — are the most we’ve seen in a hiring cycle since before the 2022 season and also tie for the most ever with the offseasons going into 1978, 1997, and 2006, according to ESPN. That eight of those 10 individuals hired or promoted to head coach four years ago have already been fired speaks volumes about how demanding the job is and how poorly so many teams fare in finding their head man.
The Ravens must find the right individual for the job, regardless of how long it takes or what the competition might be.
Below is the list of first-round interviews Baltimore has conducted:
Vance Joseph – Denver defensive coordinator and ex-Broncos head coach
Davis Webb – Denver pass game coordinator and quarterbacks coach
Klint Kubiak – Seattle offensive coordinator
Kevin Stefanski – *hired as new Atlanta head coach on Jan. 17
Matt Nagy – Kansas City offensive coordinator and ex-Chicago head coach
Kliff Kingsbury – Ex-Washington offensive coordinator and ex-Arizona head coach
Anthony Weaver – Miami defensive coordinator
Brian Flores – Minnesota defensive coordinator and ex-Miami head coach
Jim Schwartz – Cleveland defensive coordinator and ex-Detroit head coach
Jesse Minter – Los Angeles Chargers defensive coordinator
Mike McDaniel – Ex-Miami head coach
Chris Shula – Los Angeles Rams defensive coordinator
Nathan Scheelhaase – Los Angeles Rams pass game coordinator
Joe Brady – Buffalo offensive coordinatorh
Robert Saleh – San Francisco defensive coordinator and former New York Jets head coach
Anthony Campanile – Jacksonville defensive coordinator
