Jesse Minter’s first teaching hires: Deeper take a look at the Ravens’ strikes

Jesse Minter’s first Baltimore Ravens teaching employees shouldn’t be full.

He nonetheless wants to rent a large receivers coach and a particular groups coordinator. He’ll probably add a couple of assistant place coaches and high quality management coaches as properly.

However, a transparent pattern has developed. Minter has been affected person and seemed far and huge in assembling his first employees. He’s not all the time prioritized NFL teaching expertise both, notably on the offensive facet of the ball.

Let’s take a deeper take a look at Minter’s main hires:

Offensive coordinator Declan Doyle

Age: 29

Last job: Offensive coordinator for the Chicago Bears

Connection to Minter/Ravens: The Ravens have intensive ties to the Iowa soccer program, the place Doyle was a pupil assistant for 3 years and the place his father was the longtime power and conditioning coach.

Fun truth: Doyle’s youthful brother, Dillon, who was on the Buffalo Bills teaching employees final yr, was a school roommate of Ravens free-agent heart Tyler Linderbaum.

Doyle was a high-risk, high-reward rent for Minter as a result of he doesn’t have play-calling expertise and has restricted teaching expertise total. However, he wowed Ravens officers along with his concepts and data throughout the interview course of, and colleagues rave about his intelligence and organizational abilities. It helps that two of his teaching mentors, Sean Payton and Ben Johnson, are thought-about among the many brightest offensive minds within the NFL.

Defensive coordinator Anthony Weaver

Age: 45

Last job: Defensive coordinator for the Miami Dolphins

Connection to Minter/Ravens: Weaver has by no means coached with Minter, however he performed 4 seasons with the Ravens, and he’s in his second stint as a coach in Baltimore.

Fun truth: The Ravens chosen Weaver within the second spherical of the 2002 NFL Draft with the 52nd decide, 28 alternatives after they drafted Hall of Fame security Ed Reed.

Weaver was a finalist for Baltimore’s head-coaching job, so crew officers thought-about it a coup that they had been in a position to get him as defensive coordinator. Minter will name the defensive performs, however Weaver’s capacity to develop younger defensive linemen, encourage gamers and command a room make him a robust match. He is properly conscious of the group’s excessive defensive commonplace, too.

QBs coach Israel Woolfork

Age: 35

Last job: Quarterbacks coach for the Arizona Cardinals

Connection to Minter/Ravens: Woolfork was a little bit of a shock rent for the Ravens as a result of he has no apparent ties to Ravens officers, whereas one other candidate, Ronald Curry, labored alongside Doyle for 4 years in New Orleans.

Fun truth: Woolfork was a large receiver at Grand Valley State, the place one among his school teammates was former Ravens outdoors linebacker Matt Judon.

Woolfork spent the earlier three seasons because the Cardinals quarterbacks coach after he was with the Cleveland Browns for 2 years on a training fellowship. He received an offensive coordinator interview with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers this offseason and was blocked by the Cardinals for a number of different alternatives, in keeping with ESPN.

New Ravens QBs coach Israel Woolfork will work with Lamar Jackson after working with dual-threat QB Kyler Murray in Arizona. (Mark J. Rebilas / Imagn Images)

RBs coach Eddie Faulkner

Age: 48

Last job: Running backs coach for the Pittsburgh Steelers

Connection to Minter/Ravens: Faulkner labored on the identical North Carolina State employees for 3 years with new Baltimore offensive line coach Dwayne Ledford.

Fun truth: Faulkner is thought for operating distinctive drills for his gamers, resembling throwing taking part in playing cards up within the air whereas operating backs have the ball in follow.

Faulkner all the time appeared to get lots out of his backs in Pittsburgh, and now he’ll have a chance to work with Derrick Henry. He’s an skilled, tough-minded coach who is aware of all about profitable within the AFC North. He was a well-liked and revered coach in Pittsburgh, and that Pittsburgh isn’t thrilled with shedding him to its largest rival is affirmation sufficient.

OL coach/run sport coordinator Dwayne Ledford

Age: 49

Last job: Offensive line coach/run sport coordinator for the Atlanta Falcons

Connection to Minter/Ravens: Ledford performed within the NFL for eight years and has been teaching for practically twenty years, though there’s no apparent hyperlink to Minter or the Ravens.

Fun truth: After an eight-year NFL profession, Ledford’s first teaching job was as a power and conditioning coach on the University of North Carolina.

Ledford was broadly praised for his work on Atlanta’s offensive line final yr, and he was thought-about one of many prime offensive line coaches obtainable. The Falcons had a top-10 run sport for 3 consecutive years. That the Ravens employed him earlier than an offensive coordinator reveals you ways a lot he was coveted.

Tight ends coach Zack Grossi

Age: 36

Last job: Pass sport specialist for the Denver Broncos

Connection to Minter/Ravens: He labored with Doyle in Denver.

Fun truth: When he left Concord University in West Virginia, Grossi was the varsity’s all-time chief in landing passes and completions and second in passing yards.

Grossi was the Broncos’ move sport specialist the previous two years after spending the earlier two years as a top quality management coach. He additionally had a five-season stint with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the place he was concerned with each the teaching and personnel staffs. His solely expertise teaching tight ends was on the Senior Bowl. Grossi is a most cancers survivor.

Pass sport coordinator Marcus Brady

Age: 46

Last job: Passing sport coordinator for the Los Angeles Chargers

Connection to Minter/Ravens: Brady labored on the identical Chargers employees with Minter beneath Jim Harbaugh the final two seasons.

Fun truth: He performed quarterback and even punted within the Canadian Football League and gained three Grey Cup titles as an assistant coach.

Brady, who has been an NFL offensive coordinator, has labored with Andrew Luck, Jalen Hurts and Justin Herbert. He was considered as one of many candidates for the offensive coordinator job. Instead, he’ll work with Doyle and Woolfork in coordinating the passing assault and attempting to get the most effective out of Jackson.

Senior offensive assistant Joe Lombardi

Age: 54

Last job: Offensive coordinator of the Denver Broncos

Connection to Minter/Ravens: Lombardi labored with Doyle for 2 years in New Orleans and two years in Denver.

Fun truth: The grandson of legendary coach Vince Lombardi, Joe performed each soccer and lacrosse at Air Force after which served 4 years of energetic responsibility.

Payton’s longtime assistant, Lombardi was fired a couple of days after the Broncos’ AFC Championship Game loss. He’s had three stints as an NFL offensive coordinator and two stints as a play caller. He’s been criticized within the latter position, however Lombardi’s expertise in areas like sport planning and self-scouting ought to profit Doyle.

OLB coach Harland Bower

Age: 37

Last job: Defensive ends coach for Duke

Connection to Minter/Ravens: Bower was at Texas A&M and Duke with returning Ravens inside linebackers coach Tyler Santucci and in addition coached Ravens defensive lineman Aeneas Peebles whereas at Duke.

Fun truth: He performed school soccer at Georgia Southern, however he was as soon as a much-recruited baseball participant earlier than a damaged leg impacted his capacity to remain behind the plate as a catcher.

One of 4 school assistants to get a frontline position on Minter’s defensive employees, Bower may have a chance to work with what may very well be a really younger edge rusher group. He coached at 9 school packages, so he’s actually paid his dues. He developed two All-ACC defensive ends at Duke final yr.

DL coach Lou Esposito

Age: 48

Last job: Defensive line coach at Michigan

Connection to Minter/Ravens: Esposito arrived at Michigan the season after Minter departed. However, Esposito did work at Michigan beneath former Ravens defensive coordinator Wink Martindale, who has a robust relationship with Minter.

Fun truth: Esposito was the top coach for Davenport University’s inaugural season in 2016 and led it to a 6-5 document.

This is Esposito’s first professional job, however he’s despatched quite a lot of gamers to the NFL, together with first-round picks Mason Graham and Kenneth Grant final yr. Esposito’s charisma, communication abilities and skill to develop gamers earned him a popularity as one of many prime defensive position coaches and recruiters within the nation. Weaver will probably nonetheless play the lead position with the defensive position, however Esposito may have an opportunity to make his mark.

DBs coach/defensive move sport coordinator Mike Mickens

Age: 38

Last job: Defensive backs coach at Notre Dame

Connection to Minter/Ravens: He performed at Cincinnati when Minter was a graduate assistant there, after which Mickens and Minter coached on the identical employees for a yr at Indiana State. Mickens additionally coached Ravens star security Kyle Hamilton in school.

Fun truth: Mickens was highschool teammates with Notre Dame coach Marcus Freeman at Huber Heights Wayne High in Ohio.

Mickens, a widely-respected secondary coach on the school degree, was one among Minter’s first hires. He’ll oversee Baltimore’s defensive backfield after his Notre Dame secondary led the nation in defensive move effectivity in 2023 and 2024. Mickens, whose NFL profession was minimize brief by accidents, has labored with quite a lot of standout defensive backs, together with Hamilton, Ahmad “Sauce” Gardner and Xavier Watts.

Safeties coach P.J. Volker

Age: 42

Last job: Defensive coordinator at Navy

Connection to Minter/Ravens: Volker and Minter are longtime shut pals. They performed collectively on the College of Mount St. Joseph (Ohio) after which coached collectively at Indiana State and George State.

Fun truth: Volker is a childhood pal of Minter’s spouse, Rachelle. He was in Jesse and Rachelle’s wedding ceremony social gathering.

This pairing appeared inevitable from the second Minter received the top job in Baltimore. Minter tried to get Volker to hitch him in Los Angeles two years in the past, however Volker opted towards it. Baltimore is a a lot nearer commute to Annapolis, the place Volker did a commendable job main the Midshipmen protection. Volker was initially employed as a defensive assistant, however he’s anticipated to work particularly with the safeties.

Other additions: Christina DeRuyter (head coach assistant), Shawn Flaherty (assistant OL), Charlie Gelman (sport administration coordinator/defensive assistant), Patrick Kramer (offensive high quality management), Rick Minter (undisclosed), Miles Taylor (assistant DBs)

Returning from final yr’s employees: Randy Brown (assistant STs/kicking specialist), Scott Elliott (power and conditioning), Kevin Hartman (assistant power and conditioning), Tyler Santucci (ILB)