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Ravens Block Interview to Retain Key Assistant
Los Angeles Chargers defensive coordinator Jesse Minter Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Before the Baltimore Ravens can even worry about their roster, new head coach Jesse Minter has some work to do with the coaching staff.

Minter has been busy with interviews for the coordinator jobs, but has some of the position coaches in place. The Athletic's Jeff Zrebiec reports that the Ravens have officially finalized a deal with offensive line coach Dwayne Ledford after spending last year with the Atlanta Falcons.

While Ledford was expected, he is also bringing in Shawn Flaherty as the assistant offensive line coach, after Flaherty was in Atlanta last year. The new coaching staff update from Zrebiec is that Minter has retained Tyler Santucci as the inside linebackers coach for the Ravens, after blocking him from going anywhere else this offseason.

Ravens block interview requests to keep Tyler Santucci on staff

It's a very telling sign that Minter wanted to make sure Santucci stayed on staff after serving on former head coach John Harbaugh's staff last year. Santucci has extensive experience coaching defense, having previously served as the defensive coordinator for the Duke Blue Devils and the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets.

Peter Casey-Imagn Images

Santucci did a great job with the linebackers last year, as Roquan Smith was playing as well as he usually does. The most impressive job Santucci did was the quick development of rookie Teddye Buchanan, who emerged as one of the top tacklers on the team and made it on the PFWA's All-Rookie Team for his accomplishments.

Ledford is going to make a big difference in this Ravens offense, thanks to all the work he did in Atlanta last year, helping them rank among the top rushing attacks in the NFL. Bringing Flaherty with him is going to ensure that the Ravens have the right coaches in place to fix that offensive line.

For Ledford and Flaherty, the tackle positions are not going to be the problem for the Ravens at all, as they are solid there, and as long as they get back Tyler Linderbaum in free agency, the center position is good too. It will be all about what they do with the guard positions, which were a major problem all year, with inconsistent play from Andrew Vorhees and Daniel Faalele.

Minter seems to be okay with keeping key staff members from the Ravens last year on for the 2026 season. Baltimore's 2026 coaching staff seems to be shaping up to be a mix of old and new coaches, which should help balance those who are familiar with the Ravens and the new culture Minter is building.

This article first appeared on Baltimore Ravens on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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