{"id":262308,"date":"2026-01-10T09:00:30","date_gmt":"2026-01-10T14:00:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/?p=262308"},"modified":"2026-01-10T06:24:29","modified_gmt":"2026-01-10T11:24:29","slug":"ravens-dream-coaching-staff-heading-into-2026-campaign","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/2026\/01\/10\/ravens-dream-coaching-staff-heading-into-2026-campaign\/","title":{"rendered":"The Ravens\u2019 Dream Coaching Staff Heading Into 2026 Campaign"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Baltimore Ravens are in a situation their front office hasn’t experienced in almost twenty years: navigating the coaching carousel. After firing longtime head coach John Harbaugh earlier this week, the Ravens are shedding more feathers, reportedly planning to part ways with offensive coordinator Todd Monken and defensive coordinator Zachary Orr.<\/span><\/p>\n

With all three coaching positions open, Baltimore\u2019s owner, Steve Bisciotti, and general manager, Eric DeCosta, have proactively set up multiple interviews for head coaching and coordinator roles. Here are some of the top candidates who could help push the Ravens and restore a championship culture in Baltimore.<\/span><\/p>\n

Head Coach: Brian Flores \u2014 Defensive Guru Ready to Rebuild Baltimore\u2019s Identity<\/span><\/h2>\n

If you ask any analyst or fan about the Ravens\u2019 main issue over the past two seasons, they\u2019d all agree, \u201cDefense.\u201d Baltimore has been declining in that category over the last two seasons under Zachary Orr, starting the season at the bottom in passing yards allowed and sacks, and finishing below the league average. The coach who could be a major fix by implementing a dominant defensive scheme is current Minnesota Vikings<\/a> defensive coordinator Brian Flores.<\/span><\/p>\n

Despite the other seven franchises seeking head coaches, Baltimore and Flores are a pairing that makes sense. That\u2019s why, once Harbaugh’s announcement was made, Baltimore reportedly began the plan of interviewing Flores two days later.<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

The Ravens requested an interview with Vikings DC Brian Flores for their HC position, per @TomPelissero<\/a>. pic.twitter.com\/6gfT93bZnN<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Ravens Nation \ud835\ude47\ud835\ude44\ud835\ude51\ud835\ude40 (@RavenNationLIVE) January 8, 2026<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

 <\/p>\n

Flores has served as a coordinator for the Vikings since the 2023 season. Their defense during that time has consistently finished in the top five in the NFL in DVOA and overall defense. The only time the Ravens ranked higher in either category was in 2023, when Baltimore ranked first, and Mike McDonald was the coordinator.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Flores’ aggressiveness would also be a remedy for the lack of pass rush that’s plagued Baltimore since 2023. Under Flores, the Vikings ranked first in the NFL in blitz rate over the last three seasons, with a 48% rate to finish off the 2025 campaign<\/a>. With his ability to disguise blitzes, Flores would flourish with a player of Kyle Hamilton’s stature.<\/span><\/p>\n

The last time Baltimore won it all in 2012, their defense was 12th in points allowed and 17th in yards allowed. \u00a0This season, Flores had the Vikings ranked seventh and third in those categories. In simpler terms, for those who miss when McDonald was in charge, Flores might be the best available option to fill that noticeably large void<\/span>.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Offensive Coordinator: Klint Kubiak\u2014A Balanced Offensive Mind\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\n

The Ravens just completed their interview with Seahawks offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak this morning. Truly, there\u2019s no better option at the position than Kubiak, although there are other vibrant names.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

We have completed an interview with Klint Kubiak for our head coach position. pic.twitter.com\/dNgKeMWmz4<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Baltimore Ravens (@Ravens) January 9, 2026<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Some may say to go after former Miami Dolphins<\/a> head coach Mike McDaniel. D<\/span>espite people saying he would make a great offensive coordinator, McDaniels has a strong chance of getting a head coaching role. Teams such as the Tennessee Titans<\/a>, Arizona Cardinals,<\/a> and Cleveland Browns<\/a> are all perfect fits for McDaniels.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

That\u2019s where Kubiak comes into play: in his first year as coordinator, he led the Seahawks to a top ten finish<\/a> in offensive DVOA while ranking third in points per game (28.4), seventh in total offense, eighth in passing (228.1), and tenth in rushing (123.3).<\/span><\/p>\n

This is with journeyman quarterback Sam Darnold under center and a second-year Jaxon Smith-Njigba. Imagine what he could do with a two-time MVP quarterback, Lamar Jackson<\/a>, and Derrick Henry<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

Kubiak is a rising offensive mind who’s well educated in the \u201cWest Coast\u201d offense from his father and former coaching great, Gary Kubiak. Baltimore should make the move to hire him because not only would his offense expand the strength of all the Ravens’ weapons, but it could also extend Jackson’s career by taking hits off his body through the offense’s pacing.<\/span><\/p>\n

Defensive Coordinator: Anthony Weaver \u2014Violent Defensive Running Mate<\/span><\/h2>\n

Anthony Weaver is a prime example of having a good scheme but not having the right players.\u00a0<\/span>In his first season with the Dolphins in 2024, he led the Miami defense to the fourth-best in yards allowed, the best mark for Miami since 2006. This season, due to injuries and mid-season moves, the Dolphins ranked 22nd in that same category,\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

A Weaver defense, monitored by Brian Flores, would be a perfect match for Baltimore for this reason: violence and aggression.<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

You could FEEL the intensity in Dolphins DC Anthony Weaver as he expressed his defense needs to play with violence.<\/p>\n

(\ud83c\udfa5 Miami Dolphins) https:\/\/t.co\/ItAIzkfvNr<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/HzvSVeMJtp<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 David Furones (@DavidFurones_) September 26, 2025<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Weaver has ties to the Ravens, having served as their defensive line coach<\/a> when they led the league with 60 sacks in 2023. He’s a defensive line specialist, and one area of concern for Baltimore since Weaver’s departure has been the defensive line.<\/span><\/p>\n

When the Ravens are at their best throughout their franchise history, it’s when their defense as a whole is aggressive and when they play under a coach and coordinator who embraces a violent mentality.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

If you look at Weaver’s tenure not only as coordinator but also as position coach, violence isn’t just a mantra he lives by; it’s one he preaches consistently.<\/span><\/p>\n

Pair him with Flores, and the Ravens will return to the standard of not only being respected defensively but also being feared.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Klint
Dec 18, 2025; Seattle, Washington, USA; Seattle Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold (14) hugs offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak after defeating the Los Angeles Rams in overtime at Lumen Field. Mandatory Credit: Steven Bisig-Imagn Images<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

2026 Offseason: Franchise Defining<\/span><\/h2>\n

This offseason is very integral to the Ravens as a franchise. Over the last several years, despite having a winning coach in John Harbaugh, their approach to winning has grown absent-minded. Straying further and further away from the \u201cPlay Like A Raven\u201d culture imposed by the greats who once stepped foot inside their facilities.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

To reinforce the standard of success, these three selections would have a significant impact going into the 26-27 regular season.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Will Baltimore get all three coaches? There’s a chance they won’t, but honestly, there’s no better coach landing spot right now than the one presently in Baltimore, Maryland.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Baltimore Ravens are in a situation their front office hasn’t experienced in almost twenty years: navigating the coaching carousel. After firing longtime head coach John Harbaugh earlier this week, the Ravens are shedding more feathers, reportedly planning to part ways with offensive coordinator Todd Monken and defensive coordinator Zachary Orr. With all three coaching […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5713,"featured_media":210317,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"1073","footnotes":""},"categories":[10,1],"tags":[32232,3480,8741],"class_list":["post-262308","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-ravens","category-uncategorized","tag-anthony-weaver","tag-brian-flores","tag-klint-kubiak"],"modified_by":"Sue Levine","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/262308","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5713"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=262308"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/262308\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":262329,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/262308\/revisions\/262329"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/210317"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=262308"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=262308"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=262308"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}