Ravens' Coaching Staff Among NFL's Best

The Baltimore Ravens have arguably the NFL's best roster, which for many, would make them a Super Bowl contender alone.

However, every contender also needs a good coaching staff to help them get over the top, and the Ravens have just that.

John Harbaugh is entering his 18th season as Baltimore head coach, and while he's obviously not perfect, he is one of the most respected coaches in the league. The Ravens also have a great pair of coordinators in Todd Monken and Zach Orr. Monken is more proven, having led one of the league's best offenses over the past two years, but Orr's defense engineering a miraculous mid-year turnaround in his first season was certainly impressive.

With strong coaches at all three major positions, Baltimore definitely has one of the best overall staffs in the league. ESPN's Ben Solak ranked the Ravens' coaching staff as the fourth-best in the league, only behind the Minnesota Vikings, Kansas City Chiefs and San Francisco 49ers (first-third).

Solak particularly praised Monken, noting how much Baltimore's offense has improved under his leadership.

"The best offensive playcallers are all head coaches, but if we narrow our scope to coordinators, the best one around is Monken," Solak wrote. "Last season, Lamar Jackson led the league in open targets (61% of his attempts) and wide-open targets (36%, the most for any season in the NFL Next Gen Stats charting database, which goes back to 2017).

"Jackson certainly helps those receivers get open by breaking the pocket and threatening to run. But recall how congested those Ravens' passing designs were before Monken got to town. He has elevated the entire offense around the two-time MVP."

As for Orr, Solak of course made note of his unit's resurgence in the second half of last season as part of his justification.

"One of the best 2024 coaching moves was the midseason reshuffling of the Baltimore secondary, which is a feather in Orr's cap, even if it was a decision made collectively. From Weeks 1 through 10, the Ravens started Marcus Williams and Eddie Jackson at safety, using star defensive back Kyle Hamilton as more of a roving nickel/linebacker. They were the fourth-worst defense by EPA per dropback and sixth worst in points per drive.

"Then, after Williams and Jackson were benched and Hamilton was relocated to a true safety role, Baltimore became the league's best defense in both metrics."

Of course, the Ravens' coaching staff isn't perfect, and their struggles in holding a lead over the past few years have been concerning. However, they are in good hands all things considered.