OTL: A Look at Some of the New Hires

Newly hired head coach Jesse Minter has been hard at work bringing in his assistants to round out his staff. With the offensive and defensive coordinators officially set, the new regime is slowly but surely taking shape, and it’s quite an intriguing one. It’s without a doubt a new era in Baltimore, but Minter’s hires to this point have given fans perhaps even more excitement than they expected following the departure of John Harbaugh.

Let’s go through some of the new faces.

Offensive Coordinator: Declan Doyle

Minter stated in his introductory press conference that he will be the defensive playcaller, which made offensive coordinator by far the most anticipated hire. They elected to go a bit out of the box, hiring Chicago Bears offensive coordinator Declan Doyle, who comes to Baltimore with no NFL play-calling experience. Doyle began his coaching career as an Iowa student assistant from 2016-18, before joining the New Orleans Saints as an offensive assistant from 2019-22. Doyle took over as the Bears offensive coordinator in 2025, after serving as the Denver Broncos tight ends coach a season prior.

Although the duties of play calling were never assigned to Doyle, the 29-year-old whiz kid played a large part in the Bears offensive turnaround this past season. Chicago was a team of two halves this year, with Doyle being a large contributor to second-half adjustments. According to Khari Thompson of Sports Illustrated, the Bears offense led the league in EPA/play in the second half of games, as their yards per play went from 5.3 to 6.1 (second best in the league), and points per drive jumped from 2.05 in the first half to 2.88 in the second (fourth best). Putting games away has been a common issue that’s haunted the Ravens over the last few seasons. Bringing someone in like Doyle, who has no problems finding ways to finish opponents, could be the perfect complementary piece to Minter’s defensive system.

Doyle has spent a year under one of the best young offensive minds in the league, Ben Johnson, as well as five under Sean Payton, and now gets the keys to an offense that possesses Derrick Henry and a 3x All-Pro quarterback, Lamar Jackson.

Defensive Coordinator: Anthony Weaver

Anthony Weaver returns to the Charm City following a two-year stint as the defensive coordinator with the Miami Dolphins. Weaver previously served as the Ravens defensive line coach & run game coordinator in 2021, before taking over as assistant head coach and run game coordinator from 2022-2023. Weaver knows the Ravens history of relentless defense, a persona Baltimore will look to continue under their new regime. Despite injury-ridden seasons during both years as defensive coordinator with Miami, Weaver still managed to produce respectable numbers through his system. 2024 was Weaver’s best campaign with the Dolphins, finishing the season 4th in YPG (341.4), top 10 in rushing and passing yards against, and 9th in EPA/Play (-0.08).

Following the firing of Mike McDonald in Miami, Weaver finds himself back with the Ravens, where he will ultimately take a step back with Minter taking play-calling responsibilities. Baltimore’s defense is coming off two of their more underwhelming seasons under defensive coordinator Zach Orr. Under Orr, Baltimore finished 31st in the league during the 2024 season in passing yards allowed, and followed it up with the 9th worst total defense in the NFL in 2025. Maximizing the potential of the Ravens defense is going to be something to keep an eye on with both Minter and Weaver having a say in the defensive scheme.

Mike Mickens; Defensive Back Coach & Pass Game Coordinator

There might not be a more intriguing hire than Notre Dame defensive backs coach Mike Mickens. Mickens has played a large role in the revamped Irish’s success in the secondary since joining Marcus Freeman’s staff in South Bend. From 2000-2020, Notre Dame produced two household names in the NFL as far as DBs, in Minnesota Vikings safety Harrison Smith, and Seattle Seahawks safety Julian Love. Since Mickens’ arrival, Notre Dame has produced NFL talent such as Alohi Gilman, Kyle Hamilton, Troy Pride Jr., Cam Hart, Xavier Watts, and Benjamin Morrison. Current Irish cornerback Leonard Moore is also a top rated prospect in the 2027 NFL Draft class, along with teammate Christan Gray who will hear his named called this April. Notre Dame finished the 2023 season with the 3rd best pass defense in the nation (157.3), ranked 4th in pass defense in 2024 (169.4), and third in interceptions in 2025 (21).

The Baltimore secondary room has severely underachieved since the departure of Mike Macdonald, and bringing someone who’s proven to change a position group for the better like Mickens, only excites you more for what’s to come. Mickens will take over a core with four former first round picks, including a three time all-pro in Kyle Hamilton. There’s plenty to be excited for as Minter rounds out the remainder of his staff, but Mickens stands out as one of the most exciting additions to date.

Joe Lombardi; Senior Offensive Assistant

Minter just seems to be pulling in assistants like infinity stones, bringing in former Broncos offensive coordinator Joe Lombardi. Lombardi was relieved of his duties in Denver following an AFCCG appearance this season, clearing the way for Davis Webb to take his position. Lombardi was not a play caller during his tenure in Denver, as Sean Payton held that role, similar to the Minter and Weaver duties Ravens fans will see. During his two seasons with the Broncos, Lombardi served as Payton’s consultant from the coaching booth, and brings a former working relationship with the newly hired offensive coordinator Doyle. Doyle and Lombardi worked together twice, for two years with the Broncos (2023-2024) and two years in New Orleans (2019-2020). Lombardi’s knowledge and experience will be valuable to a 29-year-old first-time play caller like Doyle. Lombardi is another branch off the Sean Payton coaching tree, learning under one of the better offensive minds in the NFL. Denver finished the season top 10 in total yards per game (342.6), top 10 in EPA/Play (0.00), and top 10 in EPA/Pass (+0.02). Lombardi and Doyle will now take over an offense that has some of the best weapons at their respective positions, with a quarterback that should have two of the last three MVPs.

There’s still serious questions on the offensive line entering the offseason, but pulling in guys like Doyle and now Lombardi is a step in the right direction.

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