The Baltimore Ravens look like a brand new team entering 2026. After a disappointing 2025 campaign, they acted with urgency this offseason, making some drastic improvements to get them back on the right track.
Although free agent and draft additions like Trey Hendrickson and Vega Ioane fill Baltimore’s two fatal flaws, the biggest and best move was undoubtedly the hiring of Jesse Minter. He gives this team the best shot of not only bouncing back, but getting them back into Super Bowl contention.
In a recent article for NFL Spin Zone, Sayre Bedinger ranked each AFC team’s best new addition in 2026. Minter was his choice for the Ravens, and he slotted him in at No. 4 on his list. However, that somehow feels a bit undervalued.
Baltimore Ravens’ Jesse Minter hire given high praise, but also feels undervalued
That No. 4 ranking is high praise. No one’s debating that. And Bedinger obviously loves the vision behind the hiring. He wrote:
“To say Minter's defense has been unbelievable for the Los Angeles Chargers the past couple of seasons wouldn't really do it justice. The scheme put a lot of the league's best quarterbacks in an absolute blender, and they ended up ranking 1st in points allowed during the 2024 season and 9th in points allowed in 2025.”
“If Minter's scheme is that impactful in Baltimore, his arrival could mean the Ravens having one of the most balanced teams in the entire league.”
There’s clearly a high ceiling for Minter in Charm City, and he's instilling a ton of belief in the fanbase. No. 4 feels a bit underrated, though, especially when you look at what additions were ranked ahead of him.
In front of the Minter move, Bedinger lists the Denver Broncos’ Jaylen Waddle acquisition at No. 1, the Tennessee Titans’ head coach hiring of Robert Saleh at No. 2, and the Los Angeles Chargers’ offensive coordinator hiring of Mike McDaniel at No. 3. The Waddle deal may be the biggest blockbuster of the offseason, but ranking Saleh and McDaniel ahead of Minter could be considered questionable.
Of course, all three coaches are headed to their respective teams with a clean slate, but there’s plenty of reason to believe that Minter will be the best of the bunch.
For Saleh, this is his second stint as a head coach. He spent four years from 2021 to 2024 as head coach of the New York Jets, compiling a record of 20-36. Obviously, that was a tough situation, and he’s getting a second chance for a reason; however, his past failure could lead to a bit of uncertainty.
For McDaniel, the rationale for his placement is obvious: he could be the man to unlock Justin Herbert and pave the way for playoff success in Los Angeles. McDaniel is an excellent offensive mind, and he’ll undoubtedly call a much better offense than Greg Roman did in 2025.
Yes, we’re splitting hairs here, but I personally think the Minter addition should be ranked higher than McDaniel simply because of the impact.
If everything works out for both teams, an uber-talented head coach is simply more impactful than an uber-talented offensive coordinator. Now, the Chargers didn’t need a head coach, and they may have hit a home run with McDaniel, but the Ravens' hiring Minter as their head coach has the makings of a grand slam.
Ultimately, it doesn’t matter where you rank it. Baltimore firing John Harbaugh and replacing him with Jesse Minter was one of the best moves of the offseason. And it came at a moment when the organization desperately needed it.
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