The Baltimore Ravens made their long-awaited coaching hire on Thursday, signing former Los Angeles Chargers defensive coordinator Jesse Minter to a five-year deal. After firing John Harbaugh, Baltimore had the top head coaching vacancy, and they ended their coaching search with one of the top candidates on the market.
Ever since the move was made official, everyone has been raving about the hire. Minter is simply one of the best defensive minds in the game, and after losing Mike Macdonald to the Seattle Seahawks, the Ravens weren’t going to make the same mistake twice.
In Minter, the team now has someone who is expected to be one of the best young head coaches in the league for the next few years. From the media to Baltimore’s fanbase to other fanbases, there has been no shortage of praise for the 42-year-old. The praise for Minter has been stemming for over a year now, too.
Just over a year ago, Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce raved about Minter’s genius. On an episode of New Heights with his brother Jason Kelce, Travis talked about what it’s like to face a Minter-led defense and what he brings to the game.
“He has got [stuff] figured out,” Travis Kelce said. “I was talking to Pat [Mahomes], and there was one time in the game, where it was a big third down, and he put together a blitz that we had not seen before on tape, and got us pretty good. Shout out to Jesse, he’s absolutely killing it.”
Ravens may have found an elite coach in Jesse Minter
When you’re impressing Hall of Fame-caliber players like Travis Kelce and Patrick Mahomes, you’re doing something right. That moment was in just his first season as defensive coordinator in the NFL, as well.
It’s safe to say that Minter has only learned more sense. His units ranked in the top 10 in points allowed per game in each of the past two seasons, and he's developed an impressive defensive front. Tuli Tuipulotu progressed into a premier edge rusher this year, finishing with 13 sacks, and after tallying zero sacks in five games in Baltimore, Odafe Oweh finished the year with 7.5 sacks in Los Angeles under Minter’s leadership. He also had three sacks in their Wild Card loss to the New England Patriots.
With the Ravens, Minter will have a ton of fun players to utilize. Safety Kyle Hamilton could be the most dangerous defensive weapon in football in his system, and young players like cornerback Nate Wiggins, safety Malaki Starks, and outside linebacker Mike Green should only continue to emerge in an improved defensive scheme.