The Baltimore Ravens checked off the biggest item on their offseason checklist. They agreed to a five-year deal with Jesse Minter to become their fourth head coach in franchise history. Still, there remain a ton of questions facing the coaching staff this offseason.
Minter will obviously look to build his own staff, but with experience in Baltimore from 2017 to 2020, it’s fair to wonder how many coaches he will keep in-house. Former head coach John Harbaugh is not going to make it easy on him, though.
After being fired by the Ravens, Harbaugh signed with the New York Giants. He is looking to take many staffers and players with him to the Big Apple, meaning Minter will face some tough competition for the services of those currently on staff.
The most recent example of this is special teams coordinator Chris Horton. While the Ravens initially blocked other teams from interviewing him, Minter allowed him to explore new opportunities. After working with Harbaugh since 2014, it seems Horton didn’t waste a second before joining Harbaugh's staff in New York.
While Minter likely didn’t have Horton in his future plans. It means the former Los Angeles Chargers defensive coordinator has more shoes to fill. Along with position coaches, he will have to find a new offensive, defensive, and special teams coordinator.
Jesse Minter facing growing staff turnover
While Baltimore has been successful in recent years, they needed these changes. It’s what the fans have clamored for since missing the playoffs in a disastrous 2025 season. Nonetheless, it’s a tall task for a first-year head coach, especially looking at the immense expectations for the team moving forward.
Just a few days into his tenure, it’s already been largely speculated that the likes of Buffalo Bills offensive coordinator Joe Brady or Kliff Kingsbury will join Minter as the offensive coordinator. Both had head coaching interviews with the Ravens, and Brady even got a second interview. However, Brady also has head coaching interviews elsewhere, most notably with the Bills. In Kingsbury’s case, he lost his offensive coordinator job with the Washington Commanders this offseason, but is the preferred candidate in the eyes of quarterback Lamar Jackson and the receivers.
For Baltimore’s defensive coordinator opening, Kansas City Chiefs defensive line coach Joe Cullen is the only reported candidate thus far. The Ravens requested to interview him on Friday, and the pairing would make total sense. Cullen has Baltimore ties, coaching the team’s defensive line from 2016 to 2020. He spent three of those seasons working with Minter on the defensive staff.
Sure, Minter is being praised as a homerun hire for Baltimore, but he has plenty of work to do.