If Change is Coming, It’s Now or Never

It feels strange to write an article like this after a win, but that’s just the way this season has been going for the Ravens. Sitting at 4-3 through seven games while bringing back so many players from brutal injury feels remarkable, but just doesn’t seem good enough.

This roster doesn’t feel like a 4-3 team. It feels like a 6-1 team that’s had some insanely bad luck. There is a great football team in there somewhere. And they’re only getting healthier.

There are reinforcements on the way. Tyus Bowser and Marcus Williams will be back. David Ojabo will be back to supplement an improving pass rush. JK Dobbins will be back for the playoffs.

I’m not worried about the defense. The numbers look bad, but they’re improving every week. If they stay healthy, the defense will be Super Bowl-caliber one by January.

The offense is a bit more complicated.

Although Greg Roman’s offense ranks 6^th in points per game and 5^th in rushing yards per game, the unit feels stagnant. The passing game hasn’t improved. DeSean Jackson and Charlie Kolar are the only help Lamar Jackson will be getting, at least for now. Jackson just hasn’t looked like himself, and has thrown more interceptions than touchdowns over the last month.

A lot needs to be addressed after the Tampa Bay game. The Ravens got out of Sunday without catastrophe, but after Thursday, win or lose, they need to look at the offense. Does promoting Tee Martin to offensive coordinator fix every single issue the Ravens have on offense?

Perhaps Martin fixes the offense and takes them to a new level. Then again, perhaps he doesn’t. He’s never been an NFL offensive coordinator. No matter how good he is in his current role, he’s an unknown as an OC.

GRoman, at the very least, is a stable option at this point. He’s a known quantity. So, John Harbaugh has a classic risk/reward situation after Thursday night. Does he stay the course and trust his veteran OC’s old-fashioned offense? Or does he give the passing game coordinator a shot?

This isn’t an easy decision, and time is running out to make one. If a change at offensive coordinator isn’t made after Thursday night, the Ravens will likely be sticking with Roman for the remainder of the season, however long that may be.