Reactions to Roman News & EDC/Harbs Presser

On Thursday afternoon, Baltimore Ravens GM Eric DeCosta and head coach John Harbaugh met with the media at 1 Winning Drive, discussing a variety of topics as the offseason begins.

A couple hours before the scheduled press conference, the team announced that offensive coordinator Greg Roman would be moving on from his position.

RSR staff react to the news and the presser here.

Chris Schisler

The Baltimore Ravens made a decision they had to make. Greg Roman’s expiration date with the Ravens was reached a while ago. The Ravens were playing boring football without creativity. This had to happen and there’s no debate to be had about that.

Roman leaving opens a vacancy. Lamar Jackson’s situation makes filling the position a little more complicated. Everything is about Jackson, if you haven’t heard. But this offense has to move forward. Instead of building an offense around Lamar, the Ravens should just build a good offense.

The ugly truth is that John Harbaugh is bad at picking offensive coordinators. This is hisseventh. Gary Kubiak was great. Jim Caldwell did some good things. Most of them have been a mistake. There’s a strong chance you’re not going to like the next guy. The Ravens solved a problem, but they could easily recreate it.

My main takeaways from the Harbs/EDC presser:

•WR is a focus
•LJ is a focus
•OC is a focus
•LJ will have some input at OC/WR
•Powers will test FA

That’s all that really matters. You can roll your eyes or scoff but the team admitted their shortcomings & said “let’s get it!”

— AdamBMore (@AdamBMore) January 19, 2023

Chad Racine

I don’t think anyone is surprised by the Greg Roman news. I think he did a tremendous job early on with the Ravens offense but it grew stale. It was time to move on for both sides. It seemed that no matter what happened this year, according to the fans it was always Roman’s fault.  There could be several dropped passes, five-yard overthrows, fumbles, etc…but it’s Roman’s fault. I think there were multiple problems with the Ravens offense but it was time to start fresh. Hopefully the new guy will incorporate a lot of Roman’s run schemes.

Harbaugh and DeCosta gave the impression that Lamar will be here this year and likely moving forward.  It sounds like there is constant communication and progress is being made. That does not mean there isn’t a possibility of a trade if they can’t finalize a deal. DeCosta has no incentive to be completely transparent regarding an ongoing negotiation.

Harbaugh also specifically mentioned the wide receiver room will look different next year. I’m sure we are expecting that but it’s nice to hear him say it immediately after the season ended. I wouldn’t expect a DeAndre Hopkins trade, but resources will be put towards wide receivers.

As it should be. I’ve been saying they should have opened that up to him before the season ended (if Roman were to be let go). You want him to be the franchise QB for many years, he should have a voice & now is his chance to weigh in. #Ravens #RavensFlock https://t.co/enWir1Ct0v

— Dev Panchwagh (@devpanchwagh) January 19, 2023

Kevin McNelis

First and foremost: deep exhale. This offensive staff can finally move on from Greg Roman. I don’t expect his departure to be a catch-all solution, but I absolutely believe it’s a major step in the right direction.

Following that news, the press conference was a breath of fresh air considering the ho-hum deflection sessions that we saw late in the year. Granted, with lots of time to spare before the Draft, the front office isn’t dealing with as much pressure to get things done quickly, but it was nice to hear EDC and Harbs talk about Lamar’s contract and moves at WR as matters of “when” rather than “if”.

They’ve set the expectation. Now let’s see if they can deliver on it.

Deadline to exercise Queen's 5th year option for the 2024 season is Monday, May 1st. https://t.co/twBke89pLy

— Brian McFarland (@RavensSalaryCap) January 19, 2023

Rob Shields

First of all, thank goodness Roman is gone. The team has needed a change for a long time. I was happy to hear them say today that they would cast a wide net. I hope they don’t end up with an internal candidate as I believe they need fresh eyes for the spot.

As for the press conference, first of all, I don’t think a lot can be said about Lamar. They said exactly what you thought they would say.

However, there were a few things of note. I found interesting that one of the first things EDC said was “it takes two to tango”.

I also think it was interesting that EDC talked about how quickly other deals got done but “every negotiation is different”.

Outside of Lamar, things that were interesting:

1) They know they need to improve the WR room but EDC also talked about how they need to build a complete roster, i.e., they aren’t selling out for a WR.

2) Ben Powers is as good as gone.

3) Only one player will need an offseason surgery. Entering the offseason very healthy and said injuries were very much improved this year.

4) Perhaps the most interesting thing from the press conference was EDC basically saying he doesn’t need more picks this year. I would have thought he would have said that they need/want more picks but it doesn’t seem to feel that way. Said they have had a lot of picks lately and that sometimes you need fewer picks because of roster space.

All in all, about what you would expect. Now we wait on Lamar and how that plays out.

Jared Pinder

The Nightmare of Greg Roman is finally over. Despite leading one of the most dominant offenses the NFL has ever seen in 2019, his time in Baltimore aged like a glass of milk in the Sahara desert. They had to move on if they wanted to show the fans and the players that they wanted to win. Now comes the tricky part: who is next? Harbaugh said that Lamar would have a say in who is next and that they wish to remain the same stylistically. I don’t know how hot of a take this is, but running the ball isn’t the problem. The 49ers are run-first, helped by a dominant defense, and are true championship contenders. It can work, it just needs a push in the right direction with intelligent playcalling and playmakers. This is where the Ravens need to focus in these areas.

Harbaugh and EDC both commented that it would be a whole new group of receivers coming in. Whether that is through the draft, free agency, or trade remains to be seen. I do think they need a big trade for a wide receiver. If DeAndre Hopkins is available for less than a first, you must do it. Throw In a third, a second-round pick in next year’s draft, and a player who isn’t being utilized to get Hopkins. Then use a first-round pick on another receiver or corner, or get a guy like Rakim Jarrett late.

Outside of that, it was nice to see Harbs and EDC be so open about what went wrong. It felt like they were speaking from the heart and giving honest answers instead of being fake.

Lamar was a big focus, and EDC threw water on the fire of Lamar being gone so I hope you didn’t spend too much time on those jersey swaps and other fanbases. He seemed confident a deal would get done, and the fact that Jackson is involved in the OC search speaks volumes. It also doesn’t seem like the relationship between Lamar and the Ravens has soured.

Darin McCann

Greg Roman leaves Baltimore after a stint that started in fire, but ended in mire.

He was a great fit for a young, still-developing Lamar Jackson, and Jackson completed his first year as a full-time starter with an unanimous MVP performance. But as that old expression goes, “If you’re not getting better, you’re getting worse.” And that’s what the Ravens’ offense did for the next three years — it got progressively worse.

Certainly, some of that blame goes to injuries and poor play on the offensive line for a few of those seasons, and some goes to a receiving room that has been, let’s say, less than stellar. But questionable play-calling at critical times, a stagnant pass game, disgruntled players and just a general sense of malaise made this call a no-brainer. The Ravens will improve simply by adding a fresh voice.

Eric DeCosta and John Harbaugh certainly gave the impression that re-singing Jackson is of top priority, and that makes sense. I’ll believe it actually happens when I see it.

It is an exciting day for Ravens fans because there’s going to be a new influence on the team — we will see if that excitement actually bears fruit next year.