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Jan 8, 2024; Houston, TX, USA; Michigan Wolverines defensive coordinator Jesse Minter against the Washington Huskies during the 2024 College Football Playoff national championship game at NRG Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

Ravens Jesse Minter Hire Receives Slightly Underwhelming Grade

Originally posted on Baltimore Ravens on SI
By Henry Brown | Last updated Jan 23, 2026 2:00 PM ET

18 years ago, the Baltimore Ravens hired a then-unknown entity in John Harbaugh for their vacant head coaching position. The longtime coordinator had spent a decade with the Philadelphia Eagles, but he was a special teams guy by trade with no lead coaching experience at the NFL level. Still, Baltimore believed in his inherent leadership capabilities, and let him take control of their relatively-new franchise's on-field product.

Now, nearly two decades since that gut check, the Ravens pulled the trigger on another young up-and-comer. Harbaugh's time with the Ravens had clearly passed with fatigue and lackadaisical energy manifesting into blown leads and disappointing playoff finishes, resulting in the organization's expansive search for his replacement.

That hunt led them to Jesse Minter, a more qualified version of the young Harbaugh who first accepted the Ravens gig. The defensive coordinator is around the same age that his predecessor was in joining Baltimore, and he's coming off of a few impressive stints that imply that his in-game influence can revitalize the defensive identity that the front office is looking to restore.

Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

He split his last four years between commanding the defenses for the Michigan Wolverines before transitioning into an NFL role with the Chargers, consistently creating stops on the fly with whatever resources he had. There's reason to believe that he's just who the Ravens need to return to their roots, but not everyone is as pumped about the hire as some players are.

Assessing Initial Expectations

The Bleacher Report crew has been live-grading all of the head coaching hires of this ongoing cycle, with Minter filling the fifth of 10 open spots around the league. Though they respected the angle that the Ravens took in focusing on a defensive turnaround, they evidently don't like Minter's new fit as much as they loved Harbaugh's move to New York in handing the Ravens a B for their maneuver.

"There's a lot to like about his return to Baltimore, beginning with the fact that he does carry a defensive background. Poor defense has been an ongoing issue for the Ravens since Mike Macdonald departed to become the Seattle Seahawks' head coach in 2024," their contributors wrote. "Baltimore's defense ranked 24th overall and 18th in points allowed this past season.

"If the Ravens truly moved on from John Harbaugh because things had gotten stale after 18 years, replacing him with Minter was a logical choice. He's young, he knows the organization, and he should have a plan for getting Baltimore's defense back into playoff form."

It would appear that despite Minter's background aligning with the franchise's goals, the lack of a slam-dunk wunderkind is reflected in the grading scale. But his roadmap is clear; should he bring some new life to a sleepy defense through a partnership between finding impact players and a revitalized scheme, the offense behind Lamar Jackson should face minimized pressure to do their own job, giving the team a reasonable shot at getting right back in the postseason dance immediately.

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

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