Anthony Weaver Hired As Next Baltimore Ravens Defensive Coordinator
On Monday, the Ravens confirmed what many in the building were hoping for: Anthony Weaver is coming home. Sources told ESPN’s Adam Schefter that the 45-year-old is set to become the new defensive coordinator under newly minted Head Coach Jesse Minter.
If you’re keeping score at home, this marks Weaver’s third tour of duty with the franchise. He started as a grinder of a defensive end back in 2002, returned to coach the defensive line from 2021 to 2023, and now takes the reins as the DC.
A Perfect Match For the Minter Era
When Minter took the head coaching job, the clock started ticking. Being a first-time head coach in the NFL is like trying to drink from a firehose while standing in a hurricane. You need people in your corner who know where the bodies are buried. Weaver fits that bill perfectly. He isn’t just some recycled name from the coaching carousel; he was a legitimate finalist for the Ravens’ head coaching gig himself.
In fact, Weaver spent a good chunk of this offseason interviewing for the top job with the Falcons, Cardinals, Bills, and Steelers. The league respects him. The players respect him. Bringing him back is a massive coup for Minter. It bridges the gap between the old “Harbaugh culture” and the new regime. It gives the locker room a familiar face, a guy who has been in the trenches both literally and figuratively with this organization.
The Play-Calling Dynamic
Here is where things get interesting, and where the football nerds will start dissecting the power structure. While Weaver holds the title of defensive coordinator, Minter made it crystal clear in his introductory presser that he will be the one calling the defensive plays.
Does that make things awkward? It shouldn’t. This is becoming the norm in the modern NFL. Think of Minter as the architect and Weaver as the foreman. Minter is designing the blueprint and calling the shots on Sunday, but Weaver is the one making sure the foundation is poured correctly during the week.
Weaver will handle the install meetings, the run-game coordination, and arguably the most important job of all: managing the egos and emotions of professional athletes. Given his history as a player, Weaver has always had a knack for connecting with the locker room in a way that X-and-O gurus sometimes can’t.
Assessing the Miami Rollercoaster
Weaver arrives in Baltimore fresh off a two-year stint running the defense for the Miami Dolphins, and his time in South Beach was a bit of a Jekyll and Hyde experience. In his first season, Weaver looked like a genius. He took a unit with only one Pro Bowler (Jalen Ramsey) and turned them into the No. 5 total defense in the league. They were flying around the ball, causing chaos, and looking every bit like a championship-caliber group.
Then came last season. The Dolphins plummeted to No. 22 in yards allowed. Was it injuries? Schematic regression? A bit of both? It’s hard to say for certain, but the NFL is a “what have you done for me lately” business. Weaver knows he has to recapture that Year 1 magic immediately. He doesn’t have the luxury of a rebuilding year in Baltimore.
The Task Ahead: Restoring the Raven Identity
The Baltimore defense was hard to watch last year. Under former Defensive Coordinator Zach Orr, the unit finished 24th in the NFL. For a franchise that prides itself on suffocating defense, that is borderline blasphemy. It was only the third time in a quarter-century that a Baltimore defense finished in the bottom half of the league. That’s not just a bad season; that’s an identity crisis.
Weaver walks into a room that needs a jolt. The talent is there, but the swagger is missing. The Ravens didn’t look like the bullies on the block anymore. Weaver’s job is to bring that edge back. He needs to take the aggressive, complex schemes that Minter loves and translate them for the guys on the field.
What This Means For Free Agency
With the staff now taking shape, including the addition of Declan Doyle as offensive coordinator, the front office can finally turn its eyes to the roster. Having Weaver in the building is a recruiting tool. Free agents talk. They know which coaches will go to bat for them and which ones will throw them under the bus.
Weaver has a reputation as a player’s coach. Don’t be surprised if we see a few veterans looking to rekindle their careers, give Baltimore a look simply because Weaver is running the show.
