The Baltimore Ravens had a down year in 2025, finishing the season 8-9, and it resulted in the team firing long-time head coach John Harbaugh. Baltimore handed the keys to defensive mastermind Jesse Minter, and while he’s a first-time head coach, expectations are high for Minter.
Those expectations were recently on display in a Bleacher Report piece, where NFL writer Kristopher Knox gave realistic record expectations for all 10 new head coaches. For Minter, the expectation was an extremely high 12-5. While that may seem unfair for someone who has never been a head coach, it captures the reality that Minter inherited when he took the Baltimore job.
Jesse Minter is already facing high expectations with the Ravens
The reason why the expectation is so high in year one under Minter is simple: Baltimore is a good football team. Knox acknowledged all the struggles that resulted in the Ravens winning just eight games in 2025, but the writer believes the team still has the roster to find the kind of success Baltimore had in 2024 and 2023, when the franchise won 12 and 13 games.
A huge part of expectations being high is the fact that Lamar Jackson is the team’s quarterback. Arguably the best player in the NFL, a healthy Jackson will keep the Ravens offense humming, even after losing some key pieces in free agency.
"Minter will have to do some work to improve a defense that ranked 24th overall last season, but even a modest improvement should put the Ravens back in the playoff conversation. If Jackson can return to the MVP-caliber form he showed in 2024 and 2025, Baltimore should be back in the Super Bowl conversation, too."Kristopher Knox (Bleacher Report)
Where Minter will really have to do some work is his speciality: the defensive side of the ball. Baltimore’s defense was uncharacteristically bad for a lot of last season, despite having some really talented players. Minter will try to get the unit moving back in the right direction, and have them reflect the kind of defense that has become cultural in Baltimore.
If that happens, and Lamar Jackson, Derrick Henry, and company on offense do what they are capable of doing, 12 wins, and much more, should absolutely be in reach for the Ravens. If Baltimore falls short and has another underwhelming season, there won’t be a ton of grace extended to first-time head coach Jesse Minter.
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