Is change on the horizon in Baltimore?

As the Ravens walked off the field Sunday night, it was clear that not only was their season on a lifeline, but maybe this era of Ravens football.

From 2018-2021, Lamar Jackson took the league by storm under the Greg Roman offense. After Roman was relieved of his duties, it was Todd Monken’s turn to maximize the potential of the offense. Coincidentally, the Ravens assembled their dream coaching staff on the defensive side spearheaded by Mike Macdonald.

Unfortunately for Baltimore, Macdonald’s success was so overwhelming, he was quickly poached by the Seattle Seahawks. Additionally, Baltimore lost defensive line coach Anthony Weaver and defensive backs coach Dennard Wilson after the end of their historic 2023 season. This forced Baltimore into a quick transition, elevating linebackers coach Zach Orr to be the new defensive coordinator.

Fast forward to now – when a team with Super Bowl aspirations has slipped out of the playoffs – it’s clear that the roster talent isn’t being maximized. Each coach has obviously found some success and elevated the team in certain areas. Unfortunately, this is a “what have you done for me lately” kind of league and in a place like Baltimore, mediocrity won’t be tolerated. This begs the question, what changes need to be made and which leaders in the Ravens organization have the hottest seat.

John Harbaugh

John Harbaugh is the second longest tenured coach in the NFL, just behind Mike Tomlin. Harbaugh ranks 14th all-time in total wins and 35th in winning percentage. Harbaugh is also 7th all-time in playoff wins with 13. However, 9 of those wins came in his first four seasons of coaching. In the Lamar Jackson era, the Ravens have only 3 playoff wins despite their regular season successes. Needless to say, Harbaugh has accomplished a lot, but most of it came early in his career when players like Reed, Lewis, and Suggs defined the leadership and culture of the franchise.

Since 2008, the league has changed a lot. Most of the more successful teams have a coach that brings some kind of tactical advantage to the game. The CEO style coach still exists, but it’s becoming more and more rare to see them flourishing. When you look at the elite teams in the league right now, names like McVay, MacDonald, Shannahan, Payton are attached.

This isn’t a coincidence. For teams with a CEO-style head coach, it’s imperative that their coordinators are elite. That’s why, in the modern game, it makes more sense to have a Head Coach who can provide some type of positive influence over the offensive or defensive side of the ball. Otherwise, you are playing with one arm tied behind your back, relying on your coordinators to be the best at what they do. In 2023, this was the luxury that John Harbaugh had with Monken and MacDonald. In 2024, Nick Siriani, had a similar luxury. This is to say, the Ravens are falling behind.

Like Mike Tomlin and other CEO-style coaches, Harbaugh has always been known to be a floor raiser, someone who could get the best effort, toughness, and grit out of the players on the field. This had translated to the Ravens consistently being in the playoff hunt and having great roster depth. 2025 has been a different story. The Ravens look tired, unmotivated, and unable to get up for big games. This is a reflection of the coach which makes it seem more likely that Harbaugh’s message and coaching practices have become stale. While 2025 seems like the straw that’s broken the camel’s back, other issues have been consistent under Harbaugh. Blowing big second half leads, not holding onto the football in critical situations, and showing questionable game plans and player usage in big games has been a staple of the Ravens for the last seven years.

The Ravens have been able to coast through regular seasons on talent but frequently get exposed in high leverage games against premier coaches and teams. Simply put, fans and players seem tired. Harbaugh has had a good run, but the battery is running low and the constant mistakes in big games has reached a breaking point. The Ravens don’t like change, especially one of this magnitude, but going into 2026, it feels like it’s time. 

Zach Orr

Zach Orr’s tenure as the Ravens defensive coordinator has certainly had its bumps. For the last two years, Baltimore has started the season in putrid fashion on the defensive side of the ball. The solution has typically involved Kyle Hamilton moving to the area of the field most in need of help. In 2024, it was the back end of the defense that needed his heroics. In 2025, Hamilton moved down into the box to secure the run defense and pass rush. While Hamilton is a versatile talent who should be deployed in multiple ways, it’s concerning that one player is relied upon so heavily to fix a defense.

The Ravens have talent on defense. Heck, they have four first round picks in their secondary right now. Somehow, this has translated into one of the worst defenses in football over the last two years – particularly against good offenses. Since 2024, the Ravens have consistently been shredded by good offenses and shutdown bad ones. Obviously, you expect to give up more points against good teams but the stark contrast is very concerning. Over the first five weeks of the season, the Ravens were giving up over 35 points a game. Yes, they had some injuries and were playing good opponents, but there are a lot of defenses around the league with injuries. Rarely do they look that bad. The Ravens pass rush has been abysmal this year and even more concerning, players like Odafe Oweh, who had 0 sacks this year in Baltimore, is flourishing in another system. This isn’t to say the lack of a pass rush is entirely on Orr, but it is suspicious.

It was a tall task for Orr to come in and replicate what Mike MacDonald did. If Weaver and Wilson didn’t also leave, they would probably be the Ravens DC right now. Unfortunately, Orr has underachieved almost all expectations, frequently needing retired coaches to come back to Baltimore to help. In 2026, the Ravens need to either hire a head coach with influence over that side of the ball, or move in a different direction. 

Todd Monken

Todd Monken probably has the most job security out of the three. In 2023 and 2024, the Ravens saw overwhelming offensive success. In 2024 particularly, the offense was breaking records and Lamar Jackson had one of the greatest QB seasons in NFL history. 2025 has been different to say the least. The offense started hot, scoring over 30 points in their first three games. Unfortunately, Lamar Jackson’s countless injuries derailed an offense that looked destined for a repeat of their 2024 success. Additionally, the Ravens offensive line has suffered a major regression this year. Jackson has been pressured and sacked more than ever and the run game, while still elite, hasn’t been up to the standard of past Ravens teams.

With an injured quarterback, it’s been imperative that the Ravens lean on Derrick Henry, but too often does Monken revert to a drop back passing game when the offensive line can’t hold blocks and Jackson’s mobility seems limited. All in all, Monken has been a clear upgrade over Greg Roman. He hasn’t been perfect and isn’t a Sean McVay or Andy Reid type of offensive mind, but we’ve seen what the ceiling of the offense can be and it’s glorious. With a healthy Jackson and retooled offensive line, I expect a bounce back season from Monken and co. in 2026. 

Eric DeCosta

DeCosta has been by most accounts, a great general manager for the Ravens. Throughout his tenure, he’s been very good at drafting and is typically able to make in season trades and off-season acquisitions that outperform their contracts. Jadaveon Clowney, Kyle Van Noy, Derrick Henry, Dre’Mont Jones, Marcus Peters, and others have significantly outperformed their cap hit or trade cost. However DeCosta isn’t perfect. He’s also made questionable decisions and prioritized certain areas like linebacker and safety over the pass rush and offensive line. Trading for/ signing players like Mark Andrews, Roquon Smith, Marcus Williams, and Rashod Bateman have either backfired or are trending in that direction.

The biggest hit on DeCosta’s resume has been the neglect of the trenches and trying to build the Ravens from the outside in rather than the opposite. Granted the team witnessed incredible success with virtually the same offensive line in 2024 and lost their best pass rusher in Week 2. However, things change quickly and the Ravens have been very weak on the line of scrimmage for a few years. Even when Baltimore was at the top of the league in sacks, it was more due to their ability to generate pressure via disguises and simulations, not organically with four linemen.

Essentially, the talent of Lamar Jackson and Derrick Henry masked deficiencies on the offensive line and likewise, the talent on the Ravens’ backend masked deficiencies on the defensive front. With coaching changes and regressions from players, these areas of weakness have been amplified. DeCosta has built a very good roster nonetheless. The Ravens still have a bevy of talented young players like Kyle Hamilton, Nate Wiggins, Travis Jones, Zay Flowers, Tyler Linderbaum, and more. Unfortunately, key pieces like Henry, Smith, and Humphrey are aging, occupy a lot of salary cap and don’t have many more years left.

Through coaching changes or personnel, DeCosta needs to make a change to the general philosophy of the Ravens. The league is transitioning to more old school tendencies with multiple extra offensive lineman and big, athletic front sevens. Baltimore has a decent foundation with Dre’Mont Jones (pending an extension), Travis Jones, and Mike Green, who the team thinks will make a major jump in year two, but as we’ve seen this year, they need a lot more. It won’t be easy but giving Lamar Jackson a contract extension this offseason could be a major plus in helping the team reload the trenches.

Conclusion

2025 has been an abject failure in Baltimore. It’s clear that without a great supporting staff, John Harbaugh can’t maximize the talent on the team. Who knows, maybe the Ravens get a new defensive coordinator, upgrade the pass rush and offensive line, and get back in contention. It’s certainly possible and we’ve seen them do it before. Unfortunately, fans know that even if Baltimore bounces back, the same issues that we’ve seen for the last decade will rear their ugly heads with Harbaugh at the helm. Fumbles, lack of preparation, bad situational awareness and more. If Baltimore does decide to move on, it figures to be one of the more desirable coaching positions in football. The question is – will they finally rip the bandaid off.