John Harbaugh quickly found his next defensive coordinator.
On January 29, a day after the Ravens’ season ended in the AFC championship game, he interviewed inside linebackers coach Zach Orr for the job. A day later, the interviewing process proceeded. The next day, on Wednesday, Harbaugh summoned Orr to his office. Mike Macdonald had been appointed as the Seattle Seahawks’ head coach; Orr could take the coordinator position if he wanted it. He accepted on the moment.
“I was grinning from ear to ear,” Orr, 31, said during his introduction press conference Tuesday. “I’m really grateful that he believes in me… I’m going to work my buttocks off and do anything I can to put things right.”
That process has already begun. It might take a while. Orr joked Tuesday that he’d eventually go through the 800-plus unread text messages on his phone. However, the NFL’s second-youngest defensive coordinator is still in the early phases of an offseason self-scout. Later this month, he will attend the NFL scouting combine in Indianapolis.
The remainder of Orr’s to-do list is more lengthy and time-consuming. Here’s a glance at what comes next.
Rebuild the personnel.
When the 2024 season begins, members of the Ravens’ 2023 staff will supervise four of the NFL’s 32 defenses, or a whole division. Macdonald is likely to call plays for the Seahawks defense. Dennard Wilson, the Tennessee Titans’ former defensive backs coach, is the team’s new coordinator. Anthony Weaver, a former assistant head coach and defensive line coach, is the new coordinator for the Miami Dolphins. And Orr is leading the way in Baltimore
“We have to get ready to get some more coaches in here,” said Orr, who plans to participate in the Ravens’ coaching search, which Harbaugh will head. “Credit to the coaches who were given opportunities elsewhere. They’re excellent coaches, which is why they were given those opportunities, but now we’re just finding out who will come in and do an excellent job for us.
The Ravens are already set to return two key defensive coaches in outside linebackers coach Chuck Smith, whose work with the Ravens’ revamped pass rush (NFL-high 60 sacks) was lauded by players and coaches alike, and pass game coordinator and secondary coach Chris Hewitt.
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