The Baltimore Ravens had the worst year of the Lamar Jackson tenure in 2025. Missing the playoffs completely, they couldn’t secure a berth even with a chance in Week 18. As a result, the organization underwent significant changes this offseason.
Parting ways with a former Super Bowl champion in John Harbaugh, they brought in Jesse Minter to be the franchise’s new head coach. And, the initial verdict from the roster has been nothing but overwhelming positivity.
Baltimore Ravens Embracing Jesse Minter
An incredible resume preceded Minter’s appointment by the Ravens. Starting his career at Notre Dame in 2006, he moved through the collegiate ranks before becoming the Los Angeles Chargers’ defensive coordinator in 2024.
A unit that was in the bottom-10 of PFSN’s Defense Impact Metric in back-to-back seasons went through an immediate transformation under Minter. Finishing inside the top-10 in 2024 as well as last year, he was a key reason for their turnaround.
That turnaround clearly intrigued Baltimore, which brought him in to replace Harbaugh, especially with their prior experience working with him. From 2017-2020, Minter was with the Ravens under Harbaugh, primarily helping in the defensive backs room.
Now, as he takes over head coaching duties, he’s already made a fan out of the locker room. Veterans like Mark Andrews are already raving about the attitude he’s brought in from the players.
“Jesse’s been awesome, and this whole coaching staff has been awesome,” Andrews said. “Just stepping in here, the energy, it feels really, really good. I’m excited about going forward, getting better, and working towards our goal. These guys are fired up, so I’m excited about that.”
That enthusiasm has extended to some of the younger players on the roster, too. As he enters the final year of his rookie contract, Zay Flowers was most impressed with their preparedness to tackle a new situation from the outset.
“They were ready,” Flowers said. “Everything from the plays to the formations; everything was already set with PowerPoints, everything was set. How are we going to learn the plays? What are we going to do? What type of offense are we going to have? We learned that from Day 1.”
Moreover, he also revealed the clear communication that has existed directly between the coaches and players, making it a point to “stop by and talk to them” at least once a week. But the real insight came from players on the defensive side of the football.
As Minter’s speciality, the biggest expected upgrade should come to a defense that finished 18th on PFSN’s Defense Impact a year ago. As a result, superstar Kyle Hamilton already appears to be a fan of his new head coach.
“It’s been great so far,” Hamilton said. “This week is the first time I met [Minter] in person,” Hamilton revealed. “[Minter] is very detailed and very meticulous. He cares a lot about the process and the learning process, especially.”
BE AN NFL GM: PFSN’s Ultimate GM Simulator
More specifically, though, there is one trait from Minter that has impressed the three-time All-Pro selection already. “Obviously, right now, we’re not out there playing football, and we’re just in the meeting room, and that can get a little mundane from time to time, but he keeps guys engaged just by painting the picture of what you’re going to do when you’re here, how many guys can play different positions, and all this other stuff.”
It remains to be seen if this initial love fest can translate to results during the season as well. But so far, the new era in Baltimore appears to be off to a stellar start, with most of the locker room buying in almost immediately.
