Ravens offensive coordinator Greg Roman has had discussions with Stanford about its head coaching vacancy, John Harbaugh confirmed Nov. 30, though he called the talks “very preliminary.”
“He said there had been some contact there,” Harbaugh said. “I think it’s very preliminary right now, and that’s where it’s at. When you have really great coaches, they’re going to have opportunities, and we always try to encourage that and support that any way we can.”
Roman is scheduled to meet with the media Dec. 1 at the weekly coordinators news conference.
Roman, 50, has been with the Ravens since 2017, serving the past four as the offensive coordinator. Praised by coaches and players for creativity with play designs, Roman has been the architect of the Ravens’ record-setting running game led by quarterback Lamar Jackson, who was named the league’s Most Valuable Player in Roman’s first year as offensive coordinator. Roman was named the NFL Assistant Coach of the Year that season.
But Roman has also been a lightning-rod of criticism when the Ravens’ offense has struggled, most notably in early playoff exits in 2019 and 2020.
Under Roman, the Ravens have produced two of the most prolific running teams in NFL history. The 2019 team set the NFL single-season record with 3,296 yards, and the 2020 team amassed 3,071 yards, the third-highest total in NFL history.
They rushed for at least 100 yards in 43 straight games from 2018-21, tying the all-time NFL mark set by the Pittsburgh Steelers from 1974-1977.
Yet the Ravens have not had that kind of success with their passing game. They finished 27th in passing offense in 2019, dead last in 2020 and 13th last year. Marquise Brown, last year’s leading wide receiver, asked to be traded after the season, citing his inability to thrive in this system. He was subsequently dealt to the Arizona Cardinals.
This year, the Ravens (7-4) rank No. 2 in rushing offense and No. 26 in passing. Questions have also arisen this year about the rhythm and timing of the offense, as the Ravens frequently have been rushing to snap the ball to avoid a delay of game penalty.
Before coming to Baltimore, Roman served as the offensive coordinator with the San Francisco 49ers from 2011-2014 and with the Buffalo Bills in 2015 before he was dismissed from that role early in the 2016 season. Roman’s 49ers teams reached the NFC championship game three years in a row and faced the Ravens in the Super Bowl after the 2012 season.
Roman worked at San Francisco under Jim Harbaugh, who had hired Roman at Stanford in 2009 to be the Cardinal’s run-game coordinator. With Roman as the associate head coach in 2010, the Cardinal finished 12-1, including an Orange Bowl victory, and was ranked No. 4 in the final AP poll.
Roman, who played collegiately at John Carroll University in Ohio, had a stint with the Ravens under Brian Billick as assistant offensive line coach from 2006-2007 before joining Stanford. He went on to work with the 49ers and Bills before returning to the Ravens in 2017 as a senior offensive assistant and tight ends coach.
Stanford’s job came open when David Shaw resigned at the end of the season. The Cardinal finished 3-9 for a second straight year and went 1-8 in the Pac-12.
PRACTICE NOTEBOOK
JACKSON LIMITED BY QUAD INJURY: Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson was listed as limited with a quad injury on the official injury report. Jackson was on the field during the portion of practice open to the media, but his standard Wednesday news conference was canceled because he was receiving treatment, a team spokesman said. Jackson has yet to speak publicly since a vulgar tweet (since deleted) he sent to a critic in the wake of the Ravens’ 28-27, last-minute loss at Jacksonville created something of a firestorm.
STANLEY, HAMILTON, LIKELY BACK ON THE FIELD: Tackle Ronnie Stanley (ankle), safety Kyle Hamilton (knee) and tight end Isaiah Likely (ankle) all returned to practice Nov. 30 after missing the Jacksonville game because of injuries. Stanley took part in some offensive line work during the portion of practice open to the media before leaving the field. All three were listed as limited.
Tight end Nick Boyle and offensive tackles Patrick Mekari and Daniel Faalele all missed practice because of illness. Three veterans — linebacker Justin Houston, defensive end Calais Campbell and cornerback Marcus Peters — were given a rest day, which has been customary for them on Wednesdays.
DOBBINS RETURNS TO PRACTICE: Running back J.K. Dobbins officially returned to practice for the first time since being placed on injured reserve on Oct. 22. He missed the first two games this season as he continued to recover from the knee injury that cost him the entire 2021 season, then played in the next four games, with 35 rushes for 123 yards and one touchdown.
Dobbins, though, was still limited more than he and the team had hoped, so he underwent another procedure to address scar tissue than was affecting his range of motion, head coach John Harbaugh said. Now that he has returned to practice, Dobbins has begun a 21-day window after which he must be added to the 53-man roster or must remain on injured reserve for the rest of the season.
BRIDGES BACK WITH PRACTICE SQUAD: The Ravens have re-signed wide receiver Shemar Bridges to the practice squad. The undrafted rookie from Fort Valley State was an early star of training camp before being injured. He was waived with an injury settlement in the final roster cutdown before the season.
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