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Greg Roman Must Go After 2022

Greg Roman Must Go After 2022: Despite his historic success, Roman’s offense has been largely underwhelming this season.
Greg Roman

The Baltimore Ravens Offensive Coordinator, Greg Roman, must go after 2022. Roman has been the OC for the Ravens since 2019. In that time, he commandeered Lamar Jackson to MVP award and has seen his team make the playoffs every season bar one (2021). Despite his historic success, Roman’s offense has been largely underwhelming this season. He has been under less fire due to the team’s 10-7 record, but Baltimore should look to cut their losses after this season. Regardless of how their playoff run goes, Roman has proved this year that he is no longer a good fit for the Ravens, and a change is needed for both him and the team.

The crux of the matter is that Roman has clearly underperformed. While the Ravens have somewhat got away with it this season, they ought to find an offensive coordinator who can utilize their offensive playmakers more effectively. The offense has stuttered in important moments and have largely been carried by an elite defense ever since the bye week.

Should Roman leave the Ravens, he will have plenty of suitors in the NFL and college alike. And, for the Ravens, they have some strong candidates that they can promote to Roman’s role.

 

Baltimore Ravens Must Move On From Greg Roman After 2022

The Disappointing 2022 Offense

Was 2022 disappointing for the Ravens? We simply cannot know until after the playoffs. However, regardless of how far they go, Roman must go after the 2022 season. The offense has underperformed vastly and much of that is down to Roman.

The first thing to note is the production. Roman’s offense ranked at 19 in points scored this season (350). This is their worst ranking since 2016. Even last season, when Jackson missed a lot of the year and the team went 8-9, the Ravens managed 387 points, ranking 17th. They were also right at average in terms of yardage totals, ranked at 16.

While those do not seem like catastrophic numbers, the Ravens offense can certainly do better. They showed their potential at the start of the season when they went toe-to-toe with the high-powered Miami Dolphins.

The Passing Game

Part of the Ravens underperformance is down to their lack of receiving talent. General manager Eric DeCosta has been conservative in acquiring wideouts and, this season, relied on Rashod Bateman and Devin Duvernay. While both are adequate starters, they both suffered season-ending injuries. The lack of receiver depth has meant that the Ravens enter the playoffs with their top options as Sammy Watkins, Demarcus Robinson and James Proche.

Part of the blame lies with DeCosta’s roster decisions. He did, however, invest in tight ends. The Ravens have an elite tight end group. Though this is the case, Roman was unable to fully capitalize on it. Despite Mark Andrews having a stellar 2021, Roman failed to help him replicate those numbers this year. There is also something to be said for Roman’s underusage of Isaiah Likely. The rookie has shown good run-after-catch ability but rarely saw targets.

The biggest issue this year was Jackson’s injury, however. Jackson suffered a PCL injury over a month ago. He was expected to recover within a few weeks, but it currently looks as if he will be missing the Wildcard Round (at the very least). With Jackson out, the Ravens have looked particularly lethargic. Jackson was able to paper over a lot of the offense’s deficiencies with his game-breaking athleticism. However, without Jackson, the team have relied on Roman’s playcalling a lot more.

It may be harsh to criticize Roman for an underperforming offense when he is without Jackson but many of the issues were preexisting. The main criticism against Roman is his lack of creativity in the passing game. The routes are elementary, and Roman fails to incorporate even the most basic concepts for easy completions. With the league being increasingly pass-heavy, it is important the Ravens move with the times.

Potential Replacements for Greg Roman

It is established that Roman must go after the 2022 season. But who will replace him? The likeliest solution is an in-house promotion. The Ravens traditionally opt for internal hires, and they have some good options.

Internal Hires

Craig Ver Steeg is the most experienced in-house option the team have. He is currently the running backs coach and has been in John Harbaugh’s staff since 2008. He would likely be a stop-gap appointment, however, as the Ravens would likely opt for a long-term solution with a younger coach.

This leaves Tee Martin and James Urban as the alternatives. Urban is the current quarterback coach or the Ravens and has been in that role since 2018. He has been a constant in Jackson’s development since Jackson was drafted. Martin, meanwhile, is the current wide receiver coach for the Ravens. He was appointed in 2021 and has a lot of experience in college coaching. He is considered an up-and-coming coach currently. Of the two, Urban is currently the frontrunner but things may quickly change.

External Hires

External hires are harder to predict. With Greg Roman still around, there is little news of who the Ravens could bring in for their OC role. Frank Reich would be interesting, although the former Indianapolis Colts coach will likely land a head coach gig. He would be a nice fit, especially with his focus on RPOs and playing out of shotgun.

One concern might be Reich’s age. The Ravens may opt for a younger coach with a view for the long term. After being fired from the Arizona Cardinals, Kliff Kingsbury will likely be rumored with most OC roles in the league, and the Ravens would be no exception. The scheme fit is a concern though. Kingsbury’s spread offense does not suit the Ravens, especially with their lack of receiver depth. He has, however, shown he can design some creative mesh concepts for tight ends and has also had experience working with a mobile quarterback.

Should the Ravens go with less established coaches, Joe Brady and Bobby Slowik could be candidates. Brady is the quarterbacks coach for the Buffalo Bills, and he could be an asset in developing the Ravens explosive plays downfield. Slowik, meanwhile, is the offensive pass game coordinator for the San Francisco 49ers. At 35, Slowik is a young coach. However, he has done a great job in utilising George Kittle this season and has experience in drawing up plays for Deebo Samuel. He has also played a big part in the mini breakout of Brandon Aiyuk. The Ravens could do with some of that influence with Andrews and Duvernay needing to be used more effectively.

Roman’s Landing Spots

While Greg Roman must go after the 2022 season, he is still a respected coach within the league. Therefore, he will likely find his feet in the NFL or college game without much problem.

It was recently revealed that the Washington Commanders would be interested in appointing him as an OC, should the Ravens move on from him. He is likely to draw more interest as the head coach searches dwindle (should he leave Baltimore). Roman could also return to college coaching. He was rumored to be a top candidate for the head coach role at Stanford earlier this season, though nothing came of that.

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Curtis Leung

Curtis Leung

Curtis Leung is a UK-based writer covering the Arizona Cardinals and Baltimore Ravens for LWOS since 2022. He is interested in the NFL, association football, NBA and field hockey but is keen to learn about other sports too.

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