Jesse Minter Confident in Mike Green’s Year Two Breakout With Ravens

Even though 2026 will be Jesse Minter’s first year on the job as the Baltimore Ravens head coach and defensive play-caller, he has already shown the ability to get the best out of one of their former highly drafted pass rushers.

After not recording a single sack and just five quarterback hits with the Ravens through the first five games of last season, 2021 first-round outside linebacker Odafe Oweh caught fire after being traded to the Los Angeles Chargers, where Minter was his defensive coordinator and consistently set him up for success.

Oweh recorded 10.5 sacks in the next 13 games through the first round of the playoffs, which included breaking a franchise record with three in the team’s Wildcard loss to the eventual AFC champion New England Patriots.

One of the reasons the Ravens felt comfortable moving on from Oweh in a contract year after he recorded a career-high 10 sacks in 2024 was the presence of rookie outside linebacker Mike Green, who Minter believes is poised to make a significant leap in his second season.

"I have a lot of confidence in Mike Green,” Minter said during a press conference at the annual league meetings. “I think your first year to your second year is often a big jump and just understanding the level that it takes, the preparation that it takes, and I am so excited about Mike."

Based on raw talent, athleticism and proven pass rush pedigree and production, Green was widely viewed as a first-round talent during last year’s pre-draft cycle but fell to the second round due to off-field concerns from his past.

The Ravens decided to finally stop the former Marshall University star’s freefall by taking him at No. 59 overall but Minter would’ve had more of a say in the Chargers war room last April, he might’ve never made it past No. 55 overall where Los Angeles general manager and former Ravens executive, Joe Hortiz, opted to select former Ole Miss wide receiver Tre Harris instead.

“I loved him coming out [of the draft],” Minter said. “I was joking with him, [the Chargers] had brought him in, I think for a 30 visit last year, and so it was meant to be now that we're together.” 

Green was viewed as one of the steals of the 2025 NFL draft and spent most of last spring and summer garnering hype and praise to the point he was emerging as a trendy candidate for Defensive Rookie of the Year honors even more than Ravens first-round safety Malaki Starks.

Injuries to Pro Bowl veteran Kyle Van Noy and Tavius Robinson in the first half of the season thrust Green into a larger-than-expected role as a rookie. He finished with the most defensive snaps on the team among all outside linebackers with 712, and his 3.5 sacks were the third-most on the team and tied for the fifth-most among all rookies.

While it took him a while to get going as a pass rusher in year one, with his first sack not coming until Week 8, having Minter and new defensive coordinator Anthony Weaver overseeing his development only bodes well for his future and increases his odds of hitting the ground running in year two.

Most notable offseason addition will aid Green in making sophomore leap