The Baltimore Ravens nearly cleared house this offseason. After firing John Harbaugh and hiring Jesse Minter to take his place, the coaching staff looks very different. There are new faces almost everywhere you look.
Both Minter and Harbaugh have officially completed their coaching searches, and their staffs appear to be set for the 2026 season. Neither the Ravens nor the New York Giants will have former Baltimore defensive coordinator Zach Orr within their group.
After reports initially signaled that Orr was connected to the Dallas Cowboys this offseason, that ultimately never came to fruition. On Friday, it was confirmed that Orr will be joining the reigning Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks as an inside linebackers coach.
Per sources, Former Baltimore Ravens DC Zachary Orr is headed to the Seattle Seahawks as an inside linebackers coach. Orr will be reunited with Mike Macdonald who preceded him as Ravens DC.
— Clarence Hill Jr (@clarencehilljr) February 13, 2026
He had a opportunity to take the same position in Dallas
While the fanbase's patience ran out during Orr’s time as defensive coordinator for the Ravens, he will get an excellent opportunity to get back on track. He’ll rejoin his coaching teammate, head coach Mike Macdonald, in Seattle. Who better to continue to learn from than one of the best defensive minds in the sport?
Zach Orr leaves Baltimore to rejoin Mike Macdonald with the Seahawks
The fit in Seattle could be the best-case scenario for Orr. He’s already learned a ton from Macdonald and gets to reroute his course after a disappointing stretch.
Orr and Macdonald spent a ton of time together before each of their promotions ahead of the 2024 season. It all started in a player/coach relationship.
In a short but impressive playing career from 2014 to 2016, Orr played under Macdonald. Macdonald was a coaching intern in 2014 and a defensive assistant from 2015 to 2016. In 2016, he earned a full-time spot as a starter and received All-Pro second-team honors.
After an early retirement due to a congenital spinal condition, Orr returned to Baltimore as a coach. And right there was Mike Macdonald.
Orr was a defensive analyst in Charm City from 2017 to 2020, while Macdonald was the defensive backs coach and linebackers coach in those years. They both initially left the organization in the same year, too, as Orr joined the Jacksonville Jaguars as their outside linebackers coach in 2021, and Macdonald became the defensive coordinator at Michigan.
Both coaches made anticipated returns to the Ravens in 2022. Orr was the inside linebackers coach from 2022 to 2023, and Macdonald flashed as one of the best defensive coordinators in the NFL across that short period. Ultimately, when Macdonald left to become the Seahawks head coach, it was Orr who succeeded him as defensive coordinator in 2024.
At that moment, many believed Orr deserved the promotion to DC. He seemed to have a fast rise on the coaching track, like Macdonald. However, it never came to be, as Orr quickly fizzled out after two severely underwhelming seasons calling plays on the defensive side.
Orr is still just 33 years old. There’s plenty of reason to believe that he can bounce back; he thrived when he was working with Macdonald as a player and coach. Oh yeah, and he’s joining a Super Bowl-winning defense.