
When the Baltimore Ravens lost their regular season finale, an overly-dramatic 26-24 defeat to their rival Pittsburgh Steelers that cost them a playoff spot with one missed kick, change to the franchise's operation seemed imminent.
They seemed a step behind all season, unequipped to deliver the jaw-dropping offensive numbers of old while completely betraying the organization's history of unrelenting defense. They elected to fire head coach John Harbaugh just two days into the offseason, with majority owner Steve Bisciotti finally fed up with years of blown games and disappointing finishes.
But for all of Harbaugh's faults, he didn't act alone in sabotaging the 2025 Ravens. He never had all of the pieces to replicate the past two contending squads, and in Bisciotti's assessment of General Manager Eric DeCosta's performance as Baltimore's lead team-builder, the owner clarified his trust in the executive's process while reminding everyone of the stakes that he's raising.
"I'm not gonna look at Eric's 200 whiffs," he said in a press conference held by the two faces of the front office. "I'll look at his 800 singles, doubles and home runs. To me, that's fair. I'm very, very pleased with Eric. I know that Eric has been very, very introspective about his failures and how they contributed to our dear friend being shown the door. Nobody's harder on himself than Eric."
Steve Bisciotti's assessment of GM Eric DeCosta:
— Bobby Trosset (@bobbybaltim0re) January 13, 2026
"I'm not gonna look at Eric's 200 whiffs. I'll look at his 800 singles, doubles and home runs. To me, that's fair. I'm very, very pleased with Eric. I know that Eric has been very, very introspective about his failures and how… pic.twitter.com/J7YndKUzJf
Harbaugh's departure was something that Bisciotti instinctively felt had to be done, and though other heads are expected to roll as a new coach takes control of the locker room, DeCosta is far from the chopping block.
The owner laid out the categories in which the team's struggled to continually improve, namely the offensive and defensive line. And DeCosta is guilty on these fronts; he tried getting cute with the filling out Lamar Jackson's legion of protectors with several blockers who can't contribute starting-caliber play, as well as a severe lack of quality pass-rushers.
His strategy of keeping the winning coming by continually adding contributors strictly through the draft seems to have hit something of a wall after this most recent campaign, where a little too much responsibility was left to younger players incapable of fitting into bigger shoes. And again, the general manager understands how close he must keep his ear to the ground, stating that he'll remain ready to snatch up "big-ticket items" should they become available.
DeCosta has a clear-enough road map to improving between seasons, even if execution is tougher than planning. The defense needs to be re-built from the inside-out, as does the assortment of offensive personnel hired to make Jackson's job easier, and ownership will be closely watching to ensure that no one is operating with too much comfortability.
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