The Baltimore Ravens have an intriguing coaching staff taking over in 2026. The firing of John Harbaugh and hiring of Jesse Minter made one thing crystal clear: they are looking to lean into the new age of football. Between Minter, offensive coordinator Declan Doyle, defensive coordinator Anthony Weaver, and special teams coordinator Anthony Levine, they have a young group.
While most of the coaching staff is rather inexperienced compared to most, they have very little time to adjust. The Ravens are looking to bounce back from a horrendous 2025 campaign, and the coaching staff needs to set a firm tone in the months leading up to the 2026 season. They’ve already done just that.
OTA attendance has been a major topic in Baltimore, with some players not showing up. While they’re voluntary, Declan Doyle made it known he expects his guys to be there. In the coaching staff’s press conference on Wednesday, he ironed out his expectations.
“We would expect them to be here and, certainly, it is voluntary,” Doyle said. “But if you wanna say that you’re gonna win a championship, you wanna say that you have championship standards, and those are your goals and your expectations, certainly that’s gonna take work…That’s gonna take the beginning of building the relationship with their coaches, other players, starting off this next regime on the right foot.”
Declan Doyle sets a firm tone with the Ravens locker room
With a ton of fresh new faces in town, it’s critical to build those relationships with the players as soon as possible. Whether it's on or off the field, gaining a sense of who the player is and how they play the game will be essential to Baltimore’s success in 2026. A huge part of that will be OTA attendance and participation.
When it comes to voluntary OTA absences, it’s mostly been the proven veterans. Quarterback Lamar Jackson, wide receiver Rashod Bateman, defensive lineman Nnamdi Madubuike, outside linebacker Kyle Van Noy, and safety Kyle Hamilton were among those with listed absences last year. Of course, these are veterans, and at that point, they were already well-acclimated with the system led by John Harbaugh. That all changes now.
Sure, some players may have already built relationships with guys like Minter, Weaver, and Levine, as all have spent time in Baltimore as coaches in recent years. Still, it’s going to be an almost entirely new operation run. Attending voluntary OTAs will be crucial to adjusting to the new regime, especially when it comes to the offense run by Declan Doyle.
Doyle’s expectations for OTAs are most important to Lamar Jackson. His OTA absences have been well-documented, and while he’s proven he’s still among the best players in the NFL with or without OTAs, it’s important that he and Doyle mesh well and make a swift transition into this new relationship before the regular season. Thankfully, that relationship shouldn't be too difficult to build, as Doyle has an advantage in connecting with players at just 29 years old.
Of course, this goes for the entire team, not just Jackson. More than likely, those players who didn’t show up at times last year will take the time to work out during voluntary OTAs this year. It’s a new era on the coaching staff, and the roster should follow suit by switching up the tone in 2026.