This year’s head coaching cycle has been one of the wildest ones in recent memory. 10 teams will have new head coaches in 2026, and countless new offensive and defensive coordinators are set to take over. The Baltimore Ravens have played a huge part in this dramatic coaching turnover.
It felt like when the Ravens fired their longtime coach, John Harbaugh, they set a new standard for what to expect from your head coach. You saw many a few more teams with proven coaches follow suit this cycle, most notably with the Buffalo Bills, who fired Sean McDermott. For teams like the Ravens and Bills, it’s clearly Super Bowl or bust. Regular season success doesn't matter as much anymore.
The Ravens were praised for one of the best moves of the cycle with their hiring of Jesse Minter. He’s expected to bring that physically imposing defense back to Charm City. However, in Lou Scataglia’s recent power rankings of new head coaches on NFL Spin Zone, Minter placed third. In first place? John Harbaugh. Scataglia wrote:
“The best hire of the 2026 head coaching cycle, and our no. 1 coach in our power rankings, is John Harbaugh with the New York Giants.”
“Harbaugh's tenure with the Baltimore Ravens got a bit stale, as the early playoff exits just continued to disappoint, but a new beginning for the Giants and the veteran head coach could quickly turn into the G-Men making the playoffs nearly every year.”
Talk about a tough reality.
Jesse Minter faces John Harbaugh-sized expectations in recent rankings
Minter is a highly regarded coach. Everyone knows that. However, the unfortunate reality is that the expectations are high. Sky high. Pretty much since their inception, the Ravens have been a winning organization. A first-time head coach like Minter will certainly be feeling that pressure on his shoulders in 2026.
It’s an agonizing job to replace someone like Harbaugh. He left a lasting legacy in Charm City, meeting the expectations that come with being a Raven and then some. Whether disgruntled Ravens fans like it or not, Harbaugh was still a top head coach. And while it was time for the two parties to go their separate ways, it’s no easy task to replace a coach who led his team to 12 playoff appearances, one Super Bowl win, and an impressive record of 180-113.
In the same breath, though, Minter is a worthy candidate to replace Harbaugh. In just two years as defensive coordinator, he quickly rose to the top of the list of head coaching candidates. He was simply electric from his first snap of calling the Los Angeles Chargers defense. In 2024, his unit ranked 11th in yards allowed per game and first in points allowed per game. In 2025, they were fifth in yards allowed per game and ninth in points allowed per game.
The Ravens are looking to have another 18-plus years of lasting success. Hiring a 42-year-old defensive mastermind who has made his presence felt on nearly every down of every game is the exact type of move needed to replicate what Harbaugh did for 18 years. But, he’ll forever face comparisons to that Hall of Fame-caliber coach in Harbaugh.