The Baltimore Ravens lost Mike MacDonald for a head coaching job with the Seattle Seahawks. The decision was expected, so the Ravens have had some names in mind for more than just the last couple of hours. While they will and should interview candidates from outside the locker room, there are three strong candidates within the locker room that could also be logical options. Who are they?
3. Will the Baltimore Ravens hire DBs coach Dennard Wilson as defensive coordinator?
Wilson would make a lot of sense. He started his career as a scout for the Chicago Bears from 2008-11. Actually, he started his career playing in the NFL. Gregg Williams was the defensive coordinator who drafted him and was the first one to give him a job coaching. Wilson was hired as a defensive quality control coach for Gregg Williams with the St. Louis Rams in 2012.
He stayed through 2016 and moved up to defensive back coach. In 2017, that staff split, and he found a job with Todd Bowles and the New York Jets as the passing game coordinator and defensive back coach.
He stayed through 2021 when Nick Sirianni and Jonathan Gannon brought him to the Philadelphia Eagles as their passing game coordinator and defensive backs coach. He stayed for two years and then moved to defensive backs coach when Gannon moved to the Arizona Cardinals.
Between Gregg Williams, Jonathan Gannon, Todd Bowles, and Mike MacDonald, he has worked under four smart defensive minds. He could be the next in line to take over the play-calling.
2. Could the Baltimore Ravens hire Anthony Weaver to be their next defensive coordinator
He was in college at Flordia and North Texas for two years, then In 2012, he moved to the New York Jets assistant defensive line coach, working under Rex Ryan. In 2013, he worked under Doug Marrone and Mike Pettine with the Buffalo Bills as their defensive line coach.
In 2014, he followed Pettine to the Cleveland Browns, but Pettine only lasted two years, and he had to move on. He found work with Romeo Crennell and Bill O’Brien on the Houston Texans. He stayed there from 2016 through the 2020 season. When O’Brien was let go, Weaver was viewed as a hot coaching free agent and joined the Ravens in 2021. He has been with the team since.
Weaver is not just a candidate for defensive coordinator with the Baltimore Ravens; he is a head coaching candidate with the Washington Commanders and has taken other job interviews as well.
1. Chris Hewitt has been discussed as an internal defensive coordinator for the Baltimore Ravens
Chris Hewitt is the last name that has been discussed as a potential internal candidate for the Ravens defensive coordinator job. He started his coaching career at Notre Dame in 2003, then moved to Rutgers in 2004 under Greg Schiano. He stuck with Schiano through the 2011 season, going from a graduate assistant to cornerback coach and running backs coach.
After Schiano left Rutgers, the Ravens hired him as their assistant special teams coach in 2012. In 2004, he moved to assistant secondary coach, and in 2015, he was named defensive back coach. When the Ravens brought in Dennard Wilson, they moved Hewitt to the pass game coordinator and secondary coach role.
Both Wilson and Hewitt have qualifications that will put them in the running for defensive coordinator.