It did not take long for the Baltimore Ravens to find Mike Macdonald’s replacement.
The Ravens have named team insider linebackers coach Zachary Orr as their new defensive coordinator, the team announced on Thursday.
Orr replaces Macdonald, who agreed to become the new head coach of the Seattle Seahawks on Wednesday. Macdonald served as Ravens defensive coordinator over the past two seasons.
Ravens head coach John Harbaugh released a statement reacting to the team’s call to promote Orr to the vacant defensive coordinator position.
"Zach is a homegrown Raven in every way," Harbaugh said. "His energy, intelligence, work ethic and strong communication skills have been on display since the day he joined our organization as a player in 2014."
Orr first joined the Ravens organization in 2017 as a defensive analyst. He left Baltimore in 2021 to take on the outside linebackers coach position for the Jacksonville Jaguars. He lasted a mere one season in Jacksonville, returning to the Ravens in the following year to become their new inside linebackers coach.
Orr will have plenty of high expectations in his new role as Ravens defensive coordinator. The Ravens starred under Macdonald in the 2023 season, as they led the NFL in multiple stats, from points per game allowed (16.5) to total sacks (60).
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