ESPN analyst and former NFL executive Louis Riddick says the changes and additions the Ravens made to their coaching staff last offseason, stretching well beyond the hiring of offensive coordinator Todd Monken, help explain how Baltimore put together a 13-4 regular season.
The Lamar Jackson contract saga dominated headlines following the 2022 season, but Ravens head coach John Harbaugh made several under-the-radar hires to bolster his staff: Greg Lewis (wide receivers coach), Chuck Smith (outside linebackers), Willie Taggart (running backs) and Dennard Wilson (defensive backs). Harbaugh also shifted former receivers coach Tee Martin to quarterbacks coach.
The splashiest move, of course, was hiring Monken from the University of Georgia as offensive coordinator after Greg Roman held the role from 2019-2022. The Ravens finished the regular season sixth in total offense, fourth in scoring offense, first in rushing offense and fourth in offensive DVOA.
Monken also helped Jackson put together what is likely a second MVP campaign. Jackson set career-highs in passing yards (3,678) and completion percentage (67.2), winning 13 of his 16 starts prior to sitting out Week 18 against the Pittsburgh Steelers.
“From their perspective, [the Ravens are] much more multiple now. The pillars of what Greg Roman put into place here are still here,” Riddick said on Glenn Clark Radio Jan. 5. “… John just wanted to make sure that this offense took the next step, and that’s why he hired Todd, who for all intents and purposes is really one of those guys who believes in the passing game, loves the passing game, is a master of the passing game. And when you blend it with what was already in place here offensively, it makes them the most dangerous offense that they’ve had here in John’s tenure.”
Riddick believes moving Tee Martin to quarterbacks coach has also helped Jackson. Martin played quarterback at Tennessee from 1996-1999, leading the Volunteers to the first-ever BCS national championship to cap off the 1998 season. Martin then played in the NFL, CFL and Europe before beginning his coaching career at the high school level in 2006.
Since then, he has worked with wide receivers and quarterbacks at myriad stops. Prior to joining the Ravens as the wide receivers coach in 2021, Martin was the assistant head coach and wide receivers coach at his alma mater.
“That is a huge, huge under-the-radar move that is paying off,” Riddick said of Martin’s move to quarterbacks coach. “I can’t say that it is contributed to a certain number of percentage points or certain increase in efficiency for Lamar, but I can tell you this: The relationship between [Jackson] and with Tee and what Tee can help him with in real time during game because he played the position, it’s invaluable. And it’s all clicking together.”
An improved receiving corps is also part of the story for the Ravens. First-round rookie Zay Flowers (77 catches, 858 yards) has been the team’s top receiver, while veterans Odell Beckham Jr. (35, 565) and Nelson Agholor (35, 381) have proven to be solid free-agent pickups. Third-year man Rashod Bateman (32, 367) has flashed as well.
Don’t discount the role Greg Lewis has played in their production, according to Riddick.
“Greg has tapped into the potential of this group,” Riddick said, “and gotten them to work in concert with everything else that is going on offensively with a new offensive coordinator to the point where everyone’s going, ‘Well damn, that was a great move by Eric DeCosta and Ozzie Newsome. Man, that was a great move to get Odell in here and to get Nelson in here. Rashod’s starting to pay off when he’s on the field and when he’s healthy and feeling good. Zay looks like a tremendous draft pick.'”
Riddick says Harbaugh’s additions on the defensive side of the ball have paid dividends, too. Dennard Wilson, who played at Maryland from 2000-2003, has been an NFL defensive backs coach since 2015. Second-year safety Kyle Hamilton, third-year cornerback Brandon Stephens and fourth-year safety Geno Stone have taken major steps forward under Wilson’s tutelage. Veteran cornerbacks Ronald Darby, Arthur Maulet and Rock Ya-Sin have fit in nicely as well.
Chuck Smith, who racked up 58.5 sacks in the NFL from 1992-2000, was brought in as the outside linebackers coach after working with elite pass rushers privately for years. Veterans Jadeveon Clowney (43 tackles, 9.5 sacks) and Kyle Van Noy (30, 9.0) have been as productive as ever working with Smith.
“Dennard Wilson is working magic back there in the secondary with all the injuries that they have had,” Riddick said. “Chuck Smith has taken Jadeveon Clowney and raised his game, taken it to another level. Kyle Van Noy, he comes from a winning program but he has bought into the kind of culture John has established here. This is what makes personnel acquisitions all the better — when you already have a great culture. Then you add some great coaches. Then you add great character people. That’s why this team is the No. 1 seed in the AFC. That’s why they are. It’s not an accident.”
For more from Riddick, listen to the full interview here:
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