The Baltimore Ravens had maybe the worst season of the Lamar Jackson tenure last year. With hopes of a potential run to the Super Bowl, they failed to make the playoffs altogether, as struggles piled up on all ends.
While the two-time MVP having an underwhelming season became the biggest talking point, the defense’s struggles were also noteworthy. Now with a new defensive-minded head coach at the helm, the best defender on the roster isn’t willing to cut any corners.
Ravens Focusing on Defense With Jesse Minter
A franchise that has been heralded for its defense basically since its inception, the Ravens have consistently been near the top of the league on that side of the football. However, last year was an exception, despite the quality of the roster.
For the first time since Kyle Hamilton joined the team in 2022, they ranked in the bottom half of the NFL on PFSN’s Defense Impact Metric. That fall-off was a major part of their struggles all season, after ranking in the top 10 over the previous two seasons.
The end result, losing a Week 18 game to the Pittsburgh Steelers that knocked them out of the postseason, led to some drastic changes from the organization. Letting go of John Harbaugh, they brought in the former Los Angeles Chargers defensive coordinator, Jesse Minter, as their new head coach.
The hope has to be that his expertise can help flip Baltimore’s defensive numbers. At least that is what the superstar safety is hoping for. “I don’t think we’re reinventing the wheel or anything, but we just kind of have to reestablish dominance, especially on defense.”
An All-Pro and Pro Bowl selection in each of the past three seasons, Hamilton was among the lone bright spots for their defense. During their press conference, he explained his feelings on the state of the defense last year.
“I think defensively, it’s been pretty disappointing just [with] some results that we’ve had,” Hamilton said. “And we’ve had some good seasons, but we’ve also had some bad seasons, and those are inexcusable, especially here.”
The hope has to be that Minter can turn things around for the Ravens as well. In the two seasons before he joined the Chargers, the team ranked in the bottom-10 of DEFi. But his arrival, alongside head coach Jim Harbaugh, flipped an immediate switch for them.
Finishing in the top-10 in consecutive seasons, he knows what it takes to change the identity of a defense as a whole. And it is something he’s already preaching to the locker room, as Hamilton revealed.
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“So, I think confronting that, and him along with [defensive coordinator] Coach [Anthony] Weaver, they’ve both done a great job so far [of] just kind of laying out what’s been in the past and where we want to go in the future and how the standard has not been met and upheld, and we need to fix that.”
It remains to be seen if a change at head coach can fix all the issues plaguing the Ravens. But the optimism from some of their best players might be the best sign that the fan base can hope for.
