The Baltimore Ravens have the most crucial part of their offseason figured out. They hired Jesse Minter to replace John Harbaugh, and after his introductory press conference on Thursday, he only reinforced the belief that fans have in him.
Still, before free agency, Minter needs to fill out the rest of his coaching staff. He’s hired some respectable minds to fill a couple of position coach vacancies, but the offensive, defensive, and special teams coordinator spots remain unfulfilled.
Minter did bring back Randy Brown, who checks off a key part of the special teams operations, and he confirmed that he would call the plays for the defensive side. Defense and special teams obviously still need to be addressed, but the offensive coordinator spot has separated itself as the most critical need.
On Thursday, ESPN analyst Dan Orlovsky revealed his top picks for Baltimore’s offensive coordinator position.
“If I were the Baltimore Ravens, my offensive coordinator would be [Nathan] Scheelhaase, Sean Mannion, or Declan Doyle,” Orlovsky said. “They come from the right tree. They come from the [Kyle] Shanahan, [Sean] McVay tree. I just believe in that offense because the foundation is ‘I’m gonna take all these things that are simple to me, and make them complicated to you.’ The second thing is, ‘I can take one presentation and do five different things with it.’...I will always believe that a coordinator from that tree is the best option.”
Mannion was later hired by the Philadelphia Eagles to be their offensive coordinator. That leaves two of Orlovsky's picks, but it's clear that younger playcallers are starting to take over.
Ravens' offense would thrive under a young offensive mind
The initial speculation was that the Ravens would hire a veteran playcaller like Joe Brady or Kliff Kingsbury. Brady signed on to become the Buffalo Bills head coach, though, and while Kingsbury remains a possibility, Baltimore has begun to interview up-and-coming minds for the offensive coordinator job.
Minter did not reveal many updates on candidates for the open coaching spots, but he did mention they are making steady progress. That likely refers to pending interviews with some intriguing candidates.
Chicago Bears offensive coordinator Declan Doyle was among the most recent coaches to be requested for an interview. Denver Broncos quarterbacks coach and pass game coordinator Davis Webb was also among the candidates.
Los Angeles Rams pass game coordinator Nathan Scheelhaase is also believed to be a potential target for many open jobs, but reports believe that he’ll remain with the Rams.
Younger minds are changing the game on offense. Doyle and Webb had young quarterbacks Caleb Williams and Bo Nix blossoming into stars in 2025. While neither had full reign of playcalling duties, they are quickly climbing up the coaching ladder and are learning from top head coaches. If their success with rising quarterbacks is any indication, an opportunity to coach Lamar Jackson would open up a wide range of possibilities to dominate on offense.