LAS VEGAS — The Baltimore Ravens aren’t playing in Super Bowl LX, but they are dominating the chatter on Radio Row. Just days after landing the hiring cycle’s biggest prize, new Head Coach Jesse Minter has assembled what ESPN’s Dan Orlovsky is calling the “NFL’s best new staff,” while running back Derrick Henry is publicly engineering a trade for Philadelphia Eagles superstar A.J. Brown.
The Minter Effect: “That’s a Head Coach”
The post-John Harbaugh era in Baltimore has officially begun with a bang. Minter, fresh off his defensive coordinator stint with the Chargers, didn’t just bring a playbook; he brought a presence that instantly won over the pundits.
“I’ll start with Jesse,” Orlovsky said on The Ryan Ripken Show. “When you have the opportunity to call these games and you sit down with coaches… you very quickly know the guys where you’re like, ‘You’re a head coach.’ Jesse was one of those guys.”
Orlovsky’s praise didn’t stop at the top. He lauded the appointment of Declan Doyle as Offensive Coordinator and the expected return of Anthony Weaver as Defensive Coordinator. While Doyle doesn’t hail directly from the Shanahan/McVay tree, Orlovsky noted he picked up “the same fruit” regarding scheme and communication.
“I love this staff that they’ve put together,” Orlovsky added. “I don’t expect them to skip a beat at all.”
Adding to the hype is the reported hiring of Israel Woolfork as Quarterbacks Coach. Woolfork, 35, spent the last three seasons molding Kyler Murray in Arizona and is viewed as one of the league’s brightest young minds to pair with Lamar Jackson.
The King Wants a Reunion
While Minter builds the staff, Derrick Henry is trying to build the roster. Rumors are swirling that Eagles receiver A.J. Brown could be on the block, and Henry didn’t hesitate to recruit his former Tennessee Titans teammate.
“We would gladly love to have him. A.J.’s a dog. [Lamar Jackson] likes playing with guys who got dog mentality, so he’d love A.J. Come on over. Please, A.J., come to Baltimore.” — Derrick Henry, via Up & Adams
Eagles cornerback Cooper DeJean, appearing alongside Henry, laughed off the suggestion (“I think A.J.’s all right in Philly”), but the seed has been planted. Brown and Henry tore up the AFC South together from 2019-2021. Reuniting them in a backfield with Lamar Jackson is a terrifying prospect for the rest of the AFC North.
Trade Targets & Hall of Fame Calls
If the Brown pipe dream doesn’t materialize, Bleacher Report’s Alex Ballentine suggests the Ravens look to the trenches. He pinpointed three key targets for GM Eric DeCosta:
- DT Javon Hargrave: Still has “pass-rush juice” to pair with Nnamdi Madubuike.
- DT Kenny Clark: A run-stuffing anchor to counter the division’s heavy backs.
- EDGE Lukas Van Ness: A “buy-low” candidate entering the fourth year of his rookie deal who hasn’t yet exploded in Green Bay.
Meanwhile, history calls for a Ravens legend tonight. NFL.com’s Adam Rank predicts Terrell Suggs will be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2026. Suggs, the franchise’s all-time sack leader (139), is in his second year of eligibility. Rank views him as a lock alongside Drew Brees and Larry Fitzgerald, though former guard Marshal Yanda may have to wait another year.
Flashback: “We Got Some Get-Back”
Former Raven Marcus Peters took a trip down memory lane, revisiting the 2021 Wild Card win over the Titans—the game where Baltimore stomped on the Titans’ logo in retaliation for a pre-game disrespect incident involving John Harbaugh.
“Us getting over that hump… seeing what they did to Harbs while we were inside the tunnel… we got some get-back,” Peters told Ryan Ripken. Peters sealed that 20-13 victory with an interception, ending an era of Titans dominance over Baltimore.
What’s Next: The Hall of Fame Class of 2026 will be revealed tonight at NFL Honors. Minter’s introductory press conference is scheduled for Monday, where we expect official confirmation on the Weaver and Woolfork hirings.
