Why the Ravens keeping Greg Roman was the obvious (and right) move

The Baltimore Ravens finally spoke to the media for the first time since the end of the regular season on Monday when head coach John Harbaugh answered questions about a variety of subjects.

One of those subjects regarded the status of offensive coordinator Greg Roman, something that has become a hot topic amongst Ravens fans.

Harbaugh indicated that the team plans for Roman to be back in 2022, although he didn’t go as far as to commit to his return. The longtime head coach left the door open a little with his quote.

Perhaps that’ll be something for Ravens fans who want Roman fired to latch on to.

"“I mean, nothing is a lock. Nothing is a lock in life, to use that term, but I’m excited about it. I plan on Greg being back. I believe Greg plans on being back, but it’s still early. We’re only three weeks past the season. I know things happen fast for sure, just like you said, but that’s the plan, and I’m excited about that.”"

The Ravens were never seriously considering moving on from Greg Roman

As per usual, Harbaugh’s answer to the media may have led to more questions than answers. That being said, there has been no indication that the Ravens plan to move on from Roman.

If anything, the push to fire Roman has been more fan-driven than anything. By all accounts, the Ravens still believe that Roman is one of the better offensive coordinators in the NFL, and the numbers do support that.

Injuries plagued the Ravens roster in 2021 causing Roman’s offense that had ranked first and seventh in points per game in 2019 and 2020 respectively to fall to 17th in the NFL.

Since 2011, Roman had just one offensive unit rank below 12th in the league in points per game prior to 2021. This isn’t to say that he’s perfect — far from it — but he might be a bit better than many Ravens fans give him credit for.

You could argue that his scheme holds back Lamar Jackson as a passer from time to time. You could argue that his overreliance on the running game has limited what the Ravens have been able to do in the air.

There are fair criticisms of Greg Roman, for sure. But the Ravens believe he is the guy for the job, and it doesn’t appear as though that’s changing.

As Harbaugh insinuated, anything is possible. No one expected the Ravens to part ways with now-former defensive coordinator Wink Martindale — and that’s precisely what did happen.

If someone as respected as Martindale’s job isn’t safe, then there’s no way we could sit here and guarantee that Roman will be back in 2022. And perhaps that’s why Harbaugh steered clear of a full-on commitment.

Still, this was always the obvious move. And despite the uproar from the fanbase, it was probably the right one too.

Barring any unforeseen circumstances, Greg Roman will be leading the Ravens offense again in 2022.