Ravens To Interview Jags’ Joe Cullen, Bucs’ Mike Caldwell For DC Job
Reports of Mike Macdonald‘s quick return to Baltimore may be slightly premature. The Ravens are not done discussing their defensive coordinator position, and Jaguars defensive coordinator Joe Cullen is next in line to interview.
Cullen, a Ravens defensive staffer before joining Urban Meyer‘s staff, will meet with John Harbaugh about the DC job, Mike Preston of the Baltimore Sun tweets. While Macdonald was reported to be finalizing a deal, The Athletic’s Jeff Zrebiec pushes back on that a bit, indicating that while the Michigan DC is perceived to be the top candidate, this process is not finished (Twitter link). Cullen will meet with the Ravens on Thursday, Jamison Hensley of ESPN.com tweets.
Like Macdonald, Cullen spent several seasons in Baltimore, serving as the team’s defensive line coach from 2016-20. Jacksonville endured another dreadful season, but Cullen’s defense had moments — particularly in the team’s upset win over the Bills and Week 18 victory over the Colts — during the Jags’ 3-14 season. Cullen, 54, has been an NFL assistant for the past 12 seasons. The 2021 slate was his first as a coordinator.
Buccaneers inside linebackers coach Mike Caldwell will interview for the job as well, Zrebiec tweets. The Todd Bowles lieutenant has been with the Bucs throughout Bruce Arians‘ tenure and was previously the Eagles’ linebackers coach during Andy Reid‘s final Philly seasons. An 11-year veteran linebacker, Caldwell also played on the first Ravens team in 1996.
The Ravens’ search to replace four-year DC Don Martindale has moved fast, with internal candidates (D-line coach Anthony Weaver), external options (Kris Richard, Joe Whitt Jr.) and former Baltimore staffers currently elsewhere (Cullen, Macdonald) coming up in the past few days.
Ravens DB Anthony Levine Retires
One of the longest-tenured players in Ravens history, Anthony Levine will call it a career after 10 seasons. The veteran defensive back and special-teamer announced his retirement Wednesday.
Levine has been a vital part of Baltimore’s special teams since joining the team in 2012. The 34-year-old role player played at least 70% of the Ravens’ special teams plays in eight of his 10 Baltimore seasons.
Originally a Packers UDFA in 2010, Levine was a practice squad player when Green Bay won the Super Bowl that season. He spent the 2011 campaign on Green Bay’s P-squad as well but landed with Baltimore for the 2012 season, seeing his first game action that year. Despite not beginning his Ravens run until his third year in the league, Levine is one of a handful of players to suit up for at least 10 seasons with the franchise. Levine’s 146 career games played ranks 11th in team history.
“He worked tirelessly to become one of the NFL’s best special teams players, and he could always be relied upon to contribute at a high level on defense – no matter the role he was asked to play,” John Harbaugh said. “Most importantly, Anthony is a terrific leader of men and someone who helped his teammates become the very best versions of themselves.”
Levine finished his career with 117 tackles, four fumble recoveries and two interceptions. Levine will transition to a scouting role with the Ravens, who also plan to use him as an assistant coach.
Ravens Aiming To Bring Back Mike Macdonald For DC Job
The Ravens have been connected to some outside candidates to fill their defensive coordinator post, while also meeting with defensive line coach Anthony Weaver. An external candidate with a Baltimore history, however, appears set to fill Don Martindale‘s former post.
A year after leaving Baltimore to become Michigan’s defensive coordinator, Mike Macdonald is squarely on the radar to take the same job with the Ravens. This process is moving fast, with the Detroit Free Press’ Michael Cohen reporting a deal is expected to be finalized within days.
Prior to joining Jim Harbaugh‘s Wolverines staff last year, Macdonald was viewed as the Martindale heir apparent in Baltimore. He had previously worked with the Ravens from 2014-20, moving up from the intern level to linebackers coach by the end of his first stint with the team. Also spending time working with Baltimore’s defensive backs, Macdonald gained extensive experience with the team ahead of his move to the college ranks.
Michigan’s performance certainly helped the young assistant’s cause. Sparked by potential No. 1 overall pick Aidan Hutchinson‘s Heisman Trophy bid, the Wolverines ranked as a top-10 defense in 2021 — a year after ranking 95th in points allowed. Should Macdonald, 34, land the job, he would become the youngest DC in Ravens history.
The Ravens also sought interviews with Saints DBs coach Kris Richard and Cowboys secondary coach Joe Whitt Jr. Richard is also in the mix for the Steelers’ DC gig. While the franchise has never hired an outside coach to be its DC, Macdonald essentially checks that box in name only due to the bulk of his coaching experience coming with the team.
Ravens Request DC Interview With Saints’ Kris Richard
It has been a bit since Kris Richard worked as a defensive coordinator. He last did so in 2017, but two AFC North franchises are interested to see if the current Saints assistant fits the bill.
In addition to the Steelers’ request to interview Richard, the Ravens are interested in speaking with him about their DC vacancy, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. Now that the Saints are set to interview Dennis Allen to replace Sean Payton, a promotion in New Orleans could be on the table soon.
Richard, 42, worked as the Seahawks’ DC from 2015-17, taking over for Dan Quinn. Richard stopped the line of Seattle DCs rising to HC jobs, a procession that included jumps for Quinn and Gus Bradley. Under the former Legion of Boom position coach, however, the Seahawks ranked in the top five defensively in both 2015 and ’16. Rather than rise to a coaching job, Richard instead trekked to Dallas for two seasons as Cowboys DBs coach.
Richard helped Byron Jones‘ transition to cornerback lead to a Pro Bowl nod but was not retained under Mike McCarthy. After taking the 2020 season off, Richard joined the Saints as their secondary coach. The Ravens have yet to hire a defensive coordinator from outside the organization, but interview requests for Richard and Cowboys DBs coach Joe Whitt Jr. show they are certainly considering it. The team already met with its D-line coach, Anthony Weaver, and has its 10-year DBs coach, Chris Hewitt, on the radar as well.
Ravens Interview Anthony Weaver For DC Job
The Ravens have never hired an external candidate for their defensive coordinator position, promoting assistants ever since their original (post-Browns) DC — Marvin Lewis — left in 2002. They are interviewing at least one internal candidate for the job this year.
Defensive line coach Anthony Weaver interviewed for the now-vacant Baltimore DC job, Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com tweets. Although Weaver counts as an internal candidate, the 2021 season was his first on the Ravens’ staff. However, Weaver did play with the Ravens for four seasons (2002-05).
[RELATED: Ravens, Don Martindale Part Ways]
Weaver, 41, joined Martindale’s staff after five seasons in Houston — the last as the Texans’ defensive coordinator — and four previous seasons working as a position coach elsewhere. A seven-year veteran as a player in the 2000s, Weaver spent the ’21 season as Baltimore’s defensive run-game coordinator.
The Ravens have also been linked to defensive backs coach Chris Hewitt for their DC job, and Michigan DC Mike Macdonald was viewed as the favorite to succeed Martindale prior to leaving Baltimore for Ann Arbor last year. Hewitt has been with the Ravens since 2012, serving as the team’s defensive passing-game coordinator for the past two seasons. The Ravens are also considering an outside hire, having requested permission to interview Cowboys DBs coach Joe Whitt Jr.
Ravens, John Harbaugh Nearing Extension
The Ravens are prepared to keep John Harbaugh around into at least the mid-2020s. With the longtime head coach’s contract up after the 2022 season, an extension agreement is expected to commence soon, Jamison Hensley of ESPN.com reports.
Harbaugh signed his current deal in January 2019, shortly after the Ravens completed their Joe Flacco-to-Lamar Jackson transition. The former Super Bowl-winning HC had interestingly spent time on the hot seat shortly before his latest extension, but Jackson helping the team back to the playoffs in 2018 nixed those plans. No talk of a Harbaugh firing came up during the course of his current contract, either.
A new Harbaugh deal should be finalized within the next few weeks, Hensley adds. Although the 59-year-old coach oversaw a rare plummet from an 8-3 record to a playoff absence this season, injuries contributed heavily to that descent. The Ravens have made the playoffs in nine of Harbaugh’s 14 seasons, during which the elder Harbaugh brother is 137-88. With Sean Payton stepping away from his 16-year post earlier Tuesday, Harbaugh is now the NFL’s third-longest-tenured HC — behind Bill Belichick and Mike Tomlin.
Baltimore’s only two losing seasons under Harbaugh came when his starting quarterback missed significant time. Prior to Jackson missing games to close out this season, Flacco suffered a torn ACL during the 2015 campaign. This will be Harbaugh’s sixth Ravens contract. After the team locks down its head coach, Jackson’s contract will re-emerge at the forefront of their offseason plans. Though, the sides still have work to do going into the former MVP’s fifth-year option season.
Updated 2022 NFL Draft Order
The Divisional Round has come to end, and after each game was decided on the final play, the season has come to a bitter end for another four teams. That brings the total number of squads locked into their first round draft position to 28. Interestingly, the Rams and 49ers are still standing after they each parted ways with top draft picks this past offseason. San Francisco’s first choice is currently slated to be 61st overall, while the Rams aren’t projected to be on the board until the 101st pick. For Los Angeles in particular, the decision is certainly paying off so far.
For non-playoff teams, the draft order is determined by the inverted 2021 standings, plus a series of tiebreakers, starting with strength of schedule. For playoff teams, the order is determined by their postseason outcome and regular season record.
Here is the updated order after this weekend’s results:
- Jacksonville Jaguars: 3-14
- Detroit Lions: 3-13-1
- Houston Texans: 4-13
- New York Jets: 4-13
- New York Giants: 4-13
- Carolina Panthers: 5-12
- New York Giants(via Bears)
- Atlanta Falcons: 7-10
- Denver Broncos: 7-10
- New York Jets (via Seahawks)
- Washington Football Team: 7-10
- Minnesota Vikings: 8-9
- Cleveland Browns: 8-9
- Baltimore Ravens: 8-9
- Philadelphia Eagles (via Dolphins)
- Philadelphia Eagles (via Colts)
- Los Angeles Chargers: 9-8
- New Orleans Saints: 9-8
- Philadelphia Eagles: 9-8
- Pittsburgh Steelers: 9-7-1
- New England Patriots: 10-7
- Las Vegas Raiders: 10-7
- Arizona Cardinals: 11-6
- Dallas Cowboys: 12-5
- Buffalo Bills: 11-6
- Tennessee Titans: 12-5
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers: 13-4
- Green Bay Packers: 13-4
- Cincinnati Bengals: 10-7*
- Miami Dolphins (via 49ers)
- Detroit Lions (via Rams)
- Kansas City Chiefs: 12-5*
* = Remaining playoff teams
AFC Rumors: Jackson, Ravens, Jaguars, Chargers
The Patriots’ defense struggled in their Wild Card loss to the division rival Bills. That struggle could perhaps have a noticeable effect on cornerback J.C. Jackson‘s future. An undrafted free agent in 2018, Jackson was on a one-year extension this season, meaning last week’s loss is the last game he will have played before potentially hitting the free agent market.
The game was possibly Jackson’s worst in his four-year career, according to Mike Reiss of ESPN, who called out Jackson’s technique playing the ball, coverage breakdowns, and overall effort. Reiss went on to deliberate on the odds of New England tagging the second-team All-Pro, which currently projects as a $17.28MM tag. Reiss believes that Jackson’s playoff performance could prevent New England from using their franchise tag on him at all. The Patriots could always agree on an extension with Jackson, but after an impressive, healthy season, the 26-year old will likely want to test the free agency waters.
Here are a few more notes from the AFC, starting with an item out of the North:
- We got a bit of peek behind the scenes from Fox Sports’ Peter Schrager who tweeted out that, after some debate on who to take with their first of two third-round picks, the Rams got intel that Baltimore planned to draft Cooper Kupp at 74th overall. The Rams selected the now first-team All-Pro and Baltimore used their pick on current Steeler Chris Wormley.
- Jalen Ramsey spoke recently with Jourdan Rodrigue of The Athletic about the events that lead to his exit from Jacksonville. Rodrigue did a deep-dive on Ramsey’s journey and the three-time All-Pro expanded on how undervalued he felt by the Jaguars’ staff and detailed an explosive meeting with the team’s top brass that lead to his eventual trade request.
- In a tweet earlier this week, LA Daily News reporter Gilbert Manzano gave an account from Chargers’ general manager Tom Telesco on the pending free agency of wide receiver Mike Williams. Telesco praised Williams, who topped 1,000 yards receiving for the second time in his career this season, calling him a big part of the team but didn’t discuss how he planned to move forward on contract talks with the fifth-year Charger.
- Also, in Chargers’ news, Giants’ assistant linebackers and special teams coach Anthony Blevins was interviewed to become Los Angeles’s new special teams coordinator, according to Jordan Raanan of ESPN. Giants’ special teams coordinator Thomas McGaughey also met with Los Angeles and is being considered for the position.
Ravens Request Interview With Joe Whitt Jr. For DC Job
The Ravens have an unexpected vacancy at defensive coordinator after electing to part ways with Don Martindale, and the club’s first interview request has gone out. Per Steve Wyche of the NFL Network (via Twitter), Baltimore has requested an interview with Cowboys defensive passing game coordinator/secondary coach Joe Whitt Jr.
This is the second interview request for Whitt, as the Seahawks also want to have a summit with the 43-year-old for their own DC post. Cowboys defensive coordinator Dan Quinn is generating plenty of head coaching interest for his efforts in revamping Dallas’ defense in 2021, but it seems rival clubs also appreciate Whitt’s role in that turnaround.
Of particular interest to the Ravens is the fact that the Cowboys forced a league-best 34 turnovers last season, including 26 interceptions. Though Baltimore’s myriad injuries — including an ACL tear suffered by takeaway savant Marcus Peters just before the season started — certainly contributed to the team’s meager 15 takeaways (tied for third-fewest in the league), head coach John Harbaugh obviously wants a coordinator with a plan for dramatically increasing that total.
Whitt joined the Falcons as an assistant DBs coach in 2007, then spent 11 seasons in Green Bay, first as a defensive quality control coach, then as cornerbacks coach, then as defensive passing game coordinator. His recent history has been more nomadic, as he spent one year each with Atlanta, Cleveland, and Dallas from 2019-21, all as defensive passing game coordinator/secondary coach. However, he would be in line for a promotion to Cowboys defensive coordinator if Quinn should leave for an HC gig.
In addition to some of the names mentioned as possible Martindale replacements in yesterday’s report on the matter — like Joe Cullen, Mike Macdonald, and Chris Hewitt — Jeff Zrebiec of The Athletic discusses the viability of candidates like Jim Leonhard and Mike Zimmer. Zimmer, recently fired as HC of the Vikings, has generally fielded top defenses throughout his tenure as an NFL coach, but it’s unclear if he wants to become a coordinator right away, especially as he has no prior ties to Harbaugh.
Leonhard, meanwhile, was a key contributor on Harbaugh’s first Ravens team in 2008, and he has established himself as a quality defensive coordinator over the past few seasons at Wisconsin, his alma mater. But Harbaugh may want someone with prior NFL coaching experience, and Leonhard may want to stay where he is; he reportedly turned down the chance to become the Packers’ DC last year.
In related news, it sounds like Wisconsin is trying to pry Ravens tight ends coach Bobby Engram from Baltimore and hire him as its new OC. Per Tom VanHaaren of ESPN.com (via Twitter), an agreement between the Badgers and Engram could be finalized soon, leaving the Ravens with a need for a new coach to lead Mark Andrews & Co.
Latest On Ravens-Don Martindale Split
Don Martindale is surprisingly on the market for defensive coordinator-needy teams. Some outside interest already emerged before the Ravens moved on from their four-year defensive play-caller.
After signing a three-year extension in 2020, Martindale was set to go into a contract year. The Ravens did not offer him another extension to avoid lame-duck status, according to Albert Breer of SI.com, who adds other teams noticed this and checked on Martindale’s status. The Ravens’ defensive step back in 2021 contributed to the team passing on an extension offer (Twitter link).
The Ravens have promoted from within to fill their DC position every time the franchise has filled the job. Since Marvin Lewis‘ 2003 departure to become the Bengals’ HC, Mike Nolan, Rex Ryan, Greg Mattison, Chuck Pagano and Dean Pees climbed from within to fill the post. Martindale followed suit in 2018, rising from the team’s linebackers coach position. It is not a lock that will continue, though the external candidates on Baltimore’s radar have experience working under Martindale.
Mike Macdonald left the Ravens to become Michigan’s co-defensive coordinator last year, but Baltimore’s former linebackers coach was viewed as the likely Martindale successor before doing so, Jamison Hensley of ESPN.com notes. Macdonald spent seven seasons on John Harbaugh‘s staff. Presumptive one-and-done Jaguars DC Joe Cullen, who was the Ravens’ D-line coach for five seasons before following Urban Meyer to Jacksonville, looms as another possible candidate. Internally, defensive passing-game coordinator Chris Hewitt is a surefire candidate, per Aaron Wilson of the Pro Football Network (on Twitter). Hewitt has been with the Ravens since 2012, when he took over as the team’s defensive backs coach.
Despite the Ravens’ injury-catalyzed regression on defense this season, Martindale figures to generate extensive outside interest. The 58-year-old assistant had Baltimore perched as a top-10 defense from 2018-20.