The Baltimore Ravens didn’t live up to their history on the defensive side of the ball in 2025, and that’s a big reason why the franchise is entering a new era in 2026. While Lamar Jackson and Derrick Henry led a productive offense, the defense was flat out abysmal at times, resulting in the team losing nine games and missing the playoffs.
The Ravens have since hired defensive-minded Jesse Minter to be the team’s head coach, and on Monday, he made a hire that got the fan base excited. Minter named Anthony Weaver as Baltimore’s defensive coordinator, and it was a decision that immediately went over well. However, a resurfaced clip of Weaver speaking with the media this past season, during his time as defensive coordinator for the Miami Dolphins, really turned the excitement up a few notches.
Ravens new defensive coordinator emphasizes the importance of being a violent defense
In the clip, Weaver talked about how all of Miami’s defensive problems could be solved through violence. With his speech gaining intensity with each word, Weaver said sometimes defense is as simple as drawing a line in the sand and deciding to be more violent than your opponent. For a franchise built on violent defenses, these words are music to the fan base’s ears.
Some fans weren’t moved, arguing that former defensive coordinator Zach Orr made similar statements, and that these are just words at the end of the day. However, with head coach Jesse Minter serving as the mastermind and play caller behind the defense, Weaver will be an extension of Minter, helping to set the culture of the defense. It’s already clear that culture will be in line with the standard Ravens fans are used to.
Weaver is familiar with that standard because he played four seasons with Baltimore after being drafted as a defensive end by the team in the 2002 NFL Draft. He later coached for the team in 2021 as the defensive line coach and run game coordinator, and in 2022 and 2023 as the assistant head coach and defensive line coach. That was his final step before leaving for Miami to be the defensive coordinator over the last two seasons. He’s now back in Baltimore and ready to make the Ravens a violent defense again.