OWINGS MILLS, Md. — Speaking at the Ravens’ practice facility on April 8 for the first time since January, multiple players admitted they were stunned when they heard the news of John Harbaugh’s firing two days after their season-ending loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers.
“Initial reaction was just kind of shock, and then you start reminiscing on the past four years of my career and [Harbaugh’s success] and good football being played, and you start thinking about all the personal moments that you had,” safety Kyle Hamilton said.
That feeling eventually shifted as the Ravens added new head coach Jesse Minter and Harbaugh moved on to lead the New York Giants.
“I’m excited for him, I’m excited for us,” Hamilton said. “Everything’s got an expiration date, and he did great stuff while he was here.”
“We all have opportunities to start over,” wide receiver Zay Flowers said. “It’s a new energy. Everybody gets to restart with a new coaching staff.”
The Ravens opened their voluntary offseason workout program on April 6. Many players were back at the team’s practice facility to formally start a new season, one with many questions as the team embarks on a new chapter with a first-year head coach for the first time in 18 years.
One question that was answered early on Monday was whether quarterback Lamar Jackson would attend the program. He did, along with several other veteran and young players.
“He’s ready,” Flowers said of Jackson’s mentality entering a new season. “I feel like we answer that every year, and he’s always ready. He’s even more ready this year. He’s excited about the coaching staff, he’s excited about getting to work with [offensive coordinator Declan Doyle] so he’s ready to go, he wants to finish, he wants to get a ring.”
Jackson’s participation demonstrates early buy-in from the team’s most important player amid uncertainty regarding contract extension talks and the frustration of how last season ended.
“It was a quick offseason for a lot of guys, so for us to all be here I think it speaks volumes to the attitude, the determination, the focus levels of everybody within this organization and the excitement to have everybody here,” tight end Mark Andrews said.
And while this is the first step for the players to get ready for the season, this is also the first opportunity for them to assess the new coaching staff. Hamilton was quick to note that Minter has already been instilling his methods in meetings this week before players hit the field.
“He’s very detailed, very meticulous,” Hamilton said. “He cares a lot about the process, the learning process especially. He keeps guys engaged by painting a picture of what you’re going to do when you’re here, how many guys can play different positions, and he explains it in a very elementary way.”
One of the top priorities for Minter and company to sort out this offseason: Improve the defense, which finished last season 24th in yards allowed per game and 18th in points against per game.
“We have to re-establish dominant defense,” Hamilton said. “I think defensively it’s been pretty disappointing, just some results that we’ve had. We’ve had some good seasons, but we’ve also had some bad seasons and those are inexcusable, especially here. I think confronting that, [Minter], along with [defensive coordinator Anthony Weaver], they’ve both done a great job so far of just kind of laying out what’s been in the past and where we want to go in the future and how the standard has not been met and upheld and we need to fix that.”
Something else Minter will need to do quickly is close the book psychologically on the 2025 season, perhaps the most disappointing in the history of the franchise based on preseason expectations. With Jackson entering his ninth year and many starters in their 30s, the team knows there isn’t time to waste on the turnaround.
“The more you go through in life, in football, whatever it may be, the urgency has got to pick up, and we haven’t gotten to our end goal and that’s apparent,” Andrews said. “But we’re going to put the work in, we’re going to be ready to go, we’re going to do all the things. I’m excited about all the little changes, all the different changes and being able to elevate ourselves to make it to that point.”
Little changes start in the offseason training this week and then minicamp, training camp and the preseason, but for now, the Ravens are happy to start a new season with its own challenges and potential.
“We just didn’t get over that hump [last year], and that’s tough,” Andrews said. “That’s football. That’s life. That’s how things go, but the guys that keep on rolling, keep on kicking, keep on fighting, they’re here, and we’re going to go.”
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