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It’s hard to grade new coaching hires before they have really started the job, but we still know plenty about their history and the Ravens’ process of selecting them.
Baltimore’s search for their offensive and defensive coordinator was not as thorough as their expansive process of finding
a new head coach. They only interviewed a handful of coaches for each gig, some of whom were up for the head coaching job as well. Moving so quickly allowed the Ravens to secure their desired hires before they were snapped up by other teams, but that may have caused them to overlook other candidates.
The Ravens’ eventual hires – OC Declan Doyle and DC Anthony Weaver – have two very different histories. Weaver is extremely well-respected around the league and interviewed for the Ravens’ head coach vacancy as well as several other head coach and DC jobs. His expertise with the defensive line – dating back to 2012 with success on multiple teams – seems to fit well with Minter’s background as a defensive backs coach. His experience will also be important to a first-time head coach with just two years as an NFL coordinator.
In stark contrast to his defensive counterpart, Doyle has a short resume with just seven years in the league with three different teams. He has only been a coordinator for one year, and a non-play-calling one at that. This is a big swing from Minter, a sizable bet that Doyle can quickly harness the abilities of his mentors, Sean Payton and Ben Johnson. The Ravens are in win-now mode with little time for potential first-year bumps with Doyle.
So, what do you think of the Ravens’ coordinator hires? Weaver, admittedly, feels like an undeniably smart hire. But did the Ravens miss an opportunity to add some new blood by staying in their coaching tree? And Doyle, well, he is still somewhat of an unknown. Did it make sense for the Ravens to hire a relatively inexperienced coach when they are aiming to immediately return to championship contention? Let us know in the survey below and add addition thoughts in the comments!
