It's hard for Baltimore Ravens fans not to be excited by the early portion of the offseason. A new coaching staff of Jesse Minter, Declan Doyle, and Anthony Weaver brings the team some much welcomed change, and by all accounts, the Ravens nailed all these hires. Perhaps the most exciting aspect of the Ravens' new coaching staff is how Minter and Weaver will restore the team's defensive identity.
Recently, defensive coordinator Anthony Weaver gave fans another reason to be excited by this possibility. When discussing what he wants the Ravens to be known for, Weaver set a clear bar.
"I want our guys, when they finish the game, it'd be 60 minutes of hell. When you played us, you're going to know you left a fight. We're going to try to hit everything, we're going to fly around, play connected, play together, and just do all we can to make sure that you played in a game that was 60 minutes of hell," Weaver said.
I dare you to say that these comments don't get you fired up.
Anthony Weaver and Jesse Minter are primed to restore the Ravens' defense
Throughout the majority of the franchise's history, Baltimore's identity has been centered around the defensive side of the ball. However, the past two seasons (especially last year, where they ranked in the bottom 10 in opponent yards) have been lackluster at best. The Ravens' lack of pressure was a massive problem last season -- their 19 percent pressure rate was 29th in the league.
With Minter and Weaver in charge, this feels bound to change.
Minter has routinely expressed the importance of restoring the Ravens' defensive identity, and Weaver feels perfectly aligned with this mindset. This lack of aggression from the coaching staff was a problem with the Ravens last year, and it was reflected by the team's lack of physicality.
Of course, general manager Eric DeCosta will still need to upgrade the defense in free agency and the draft. Nevertheless, the revamped coaching staff is a clear advantage for the Ravens.
Minter's experience as the defensive mastermind for the Los Angeles Chargers (and Michigan national championship team) has been well-discussed, and he'll continue to hold defensive play-calling duties in Baltimore. However, Weaver is an awesome hire as well. He interviewed for several head coaching positions, including the Ravens' job this offseason. While the Miami Dolphins' defense wasn't impressive, that was mainly a personnel issue rather than a coaching issue.
By all accounts, Weaver is one of the best DCs in the league, and considering that he's paired with Minter, it's hard not to be excited about the Ravens' 2026 defense.
With Lamar Jackson and Derrick Henry, the Ravens will always be Super Bowl caliber on offense. For the Ravens to reach their Super Bowl aspirations, they'll need to have an elite defense, though.
The Ravens have some clear talent on defense, most notably, Kyle Hamilton, Roquan Smith, and Travis Jones -- and, thankfully, the new coaching staff is perfectly equipped to revive a crucial part of the Ravens' success.