The biggest news Tuesday came from the introductory press conference of new Ravens Defensive Coordinator Zach Orr. A former fan favorite and surprising riser in Baltimore’s linebacker corps, Orr seems to be another young coaching talent. I, for one, am extremely happy with the hiring (while still being disappointed Mike Macdonald had to go).
While many fans still harbor love for Orr as a player, it seems he feels the same way about the Ravens organization:
Ravens DC Zach Orr said he bleeds purple and black because of the support he received from the organization when he was forced to retire pic.twitter.com/15CL4E8y4P
— Jamison Hensley (@jamisonhensley) February 6, 2024
More importantly, it seems he’ll bring the same “organized chaos” that made Macdonald’s scheme so scary for opposing offenses. Let’s hope he puts his money where his mouth is:
"Organized chaos. Present a lot of problems to the offense… First things first, hit everything that moves."
DC Zach Orr on what he wants the defense's identity be: pic.twitter.com/Eij3puVyf9
— Baltimore Ravens (@Ravens) February 6, 2024
And for those that care – which I do – Orr will call plays from the sideline:
New Ravens DC Zach Orr on if he will be calling plays “from the field or the press box”:
This man is our next head coach. pic.twitter.com/zBs0BuYGgR
— STONE (@stone_2x) February 6, 2024
There’s no doubt that Orr’s press conference instilled confidence in fans, but for those that didn’t get a chance to tune in, Garrett Downing provided a nice summary on The Final Drive, while Ryan Mink wrote a piece on Orr’s vision for the defense:
How new DC Zach Orr plans to evolve the Ravens defense: pic.twitter.com/AAZYKgMhjY
— Baltimore Ravens (@Ravens) February 6, 2024
Baltimore’s defense will still be extremely talented, and there’s the potential for it to get even stronger through the draft and free agency. Orr will be set up for success, it’ll be on him to find it.
Excitement about the defense aside, the Ravens weren’t able to reach an agreement for Jerry Rosburg’s return:
Update: The #Ravens are now not expected to hire their former special teams coordinator Jerry Rosburg to a staff position, I’m told. Talks did not end in a deal.
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) February 6, 2024
There’s been jokes made about this role compared to HC John Harbaugh’s, but if there were talks, Ravens brass must have felt there’s a need. Rosburg understands Baltimore’s gameplans and how the team wins; this would’ve been a nice hiring in my eyes.
And, when you consider that Jerry's daughter Megan is John's assistant, at the very least it adds intrigue to Pelissero's miss. In-game management aside, adding Jerry would help a sagging special teams unit. So, at the end of the day, this is disappointing for the #Ravens. https://t.co/xGieYhqfJy
— Tony Lombardi (@RSRLombardi) February 6, 2024
In terms of departures, I’m more concerned with the loss of Joe Hortiz, who’s now the Chargers’ GM. Hortiz was a master of draft strategy, and if you want proof, look no further than Baltimore’s prioritization of compensatory picks.
That’s been a staple of Baltimore’s strategy for as long as I can remember, and I’m curious how things will shake out without Hortiz.
Looking ahead to the draft (sigh), one interesting wrinkle will be the Running Back position. So much has been made of their lack of a rushing attack against Kansas City, but it would’ve been interesting to see if things would have changed had Keaton Mitchell been healthy.
Obviously we’ll never know, but here’s to a healthy recovery for #34.
Keaton Mitchell really shouldn’t have gone undrafted! #RavensFlock pic.twitter.com/zTlSzlusFj
— Nic Mason (@British_Raven19) February 6, 2024
With Mitchell returning from a serious injury and Gus Edwards hitting the market, all eyes will be on JK Dobbins. Will he be brought back on a team friendly deal? Or has he simply racked up too many injuries to trust him moving forward?
Should the Ravens bring back J.K. Dobbins in free agency? pic.twitter.com/VufWRbK8QW
— Kevin Oestreicher (@koestreicher34) February 6, 2024
If Dobbins doesn’t return, I see RB as a major draft need for the Ravens. There are certainly others, at higher-valued positions, no less, but it’ll be a need. With Mock Drafts in our near future, what do you think the needs are?
And, as Stone posts below, who’s “your guy” in this year’s draft class?
Who is THAT GUY you want the Ravens to draft this year?
I’ll go first: pic.twitter.com/ijfYy7VWk6
— STONE (@stone_2x) February 6, 2024
Sound off in the comments!
