Ravens Request OC Interview With Bears’ Declan Doyle
The NFL has attempted to help fast-track upward mobility by loosening restrictions on coordinator movement. Teams are no longer permitted to block OC interviews if the job would allow a non-play-calling OC to commandeer a call sheet for another team.
Chicago currently employs an assistant in this position, and teams are looking into Ben Johnson‘s non-play-calling OC. After the Eagles requested a Declan Doyle OC interview, the Chicago Tribune’s Brad Biggs reports the Ravens have submitted a request to meet with the Bears’ OC.
Doyle, however, withdrew his name from the Eagles’ search today. It would be interesting if he went forward with a Ravens meeting after that decision. The Ravens hired Jesse Minter as their new HC last week. Doyle also came from the AFC West, serving as the Broncos’ tight ends coach prior to his Bears hire. Doyle, who was just 28 when hired by the Bears last year, had previously been on Sean Payton‘s final few Saints staffs.
The Bears transformed their offense in 2025. They ranked 28th in scoring during Caleb Williams‘ rookie year; they finished ninth this season. They ranked sixth in yardage and seventh in EPA per play. Johnson is naturally receiving most of the credit for that improvement, but Doyle was a central figure for Chicago’s offense as well. Rookie Colston Loveland led the Bears in receiving, and rookie running back Kyle Monangai went from seventh-round pick to 783-yard rusher as a rookie.
Being hired as an OC before age 30 is rare, and teams are taking notice. The Ravens are early in their OC search, but a few names have surfaced. Baltimore may still be eyeing Kliff Kingsbury, who interviewed for the job along with his HC meeting, but Lions assistant HC Scottie Montgomery is also on the team’s radar. Montgomery plans to take the meeting; once he does, the Ravens will be Rooney Rule-compliant. Kingsbury’s name primarily came up before Minter’s hire; it is notable Doyle’s has surfaced after the ex-Chargers HC took over.
Ravens To Conduct OC Interview With Scottie Montgomery
Todd Monken has not officially departed the Ravens yet, but he is on track to coach elsewhere in 2026. Baltimore’s list of offensive coordinator replacement options is set to expand. 
The team will interview Lions receivers coach Scottie Montgomery, Tom Pelissero of NFL Network reports. That makes him the fourth candidate connected to Baltimore’s OC vacancy. One of them – Mike McDaniel – officially accepted the Chargers’ offensive coordinator gig on Monday.
A different former NFL head coach in the form of Kliff Kingsbury remains a name to watch for the Ravens regarding their OC spot. Montgomery does not have as much experience leading a staff at the college of NFL levels but he has been a trusted voice on the sidelines several times in his career. In place with Detroit since 2023, Montgomery has held the title of assistant head coach all three years.
The 47-year-old has worked as a position coach at several stops during his coaching career. Montgomery – who took on his current role in 2025 after two years coaching Detroit’s running backs – has also been an NCAA offensive coordinator in the past. He led Maryland’s offense for two years (2019-20) before returning to the NFL coaching ranks. After a two-year run coaching the Colts’ running backs, Montgomery joined Dan Campbell‘s staff and became a key figure. This is the first known coordinator interview in Montgomery’s case during the 2026 cycle.
Monken guided the Ravens’ offense for the past three years, taking over from Greg Roman. The unit battled inconsistency in 2025, a year in which injuries to Lamar Jackson and others were prevalent. The 2023 and ’24 campaigns saw Baltimore finish in the top four in scoring, though, so expectations will be high for the team’s new OC with Baltimore aiming to return to the postseason.
New head coach Jesse Minter has a lengthy defensive background, and improvement on that side of the ball will be targeted in 2026 and beyond. The offensive coordinator spot will be critical as a play-calling presence, however, making this search one to watch closely.
Giants Hire Chris Horton As Special Teams Coordinator
Earlier this week, the Ravens reportedly blocked their former head coach, John Harbaugh, from interviewing special teams coordinator Chris Horton for a potential lateral move to New York. We had mentioned that Baltimore’s stance may change upon the arrival of a new head coach, and with Jesse Minter getting hired the day after Horton was blocked, that change in stance must have occurred. According to Tom Pelissero of NFL Network, Horton will join Harbaugh’s new staff in New York as assistant head coach/special teams coach.
A former special teams coach himself, it makes sense to see Harbaugh prioritizing his old special teams crew in Baltimore. Horton got his start in coaching as a quality control assistant at his alma mater, UCLA, following a short-lived career in the NFL. After participating in the Ravens’ coaching internship program, Horton was offered the option to stay in Baltimore as the team’s assistant special teams coach.
When Jerry Rosburg, who had served as the Ravens special teams coordinator/assistant head coach since Harbaugh’s first year in Baltimore, announced his retirement in 2019 (before making a short return for the 2022 Broncos), Horton stepped into the coordinator role. Horton’s tenure as special teams coordinator saw the tail ends of the careers of the team’s well-established “Wolf Pack,” featuring kicker Justin Tucker, punter Sam Koch, and long snapper Morgan Cox.
Cox was allowed to walk in free agency in favor of a cheaper, undrafted option, while Koch and Tucker’s performances started to decline in their final years, though an off-the-field scandal really spelt the end for Tucker. The Ravens have since drafted replacements for Tucker and Koch. Jordan Stout was considered a middling punter in need of a big contract year coming into this year, but a breakout season led to All-Pro honors that should help his prospects heading into free agency.
Rookie kicker Tyler Loop was accurate enough in his first season, making 30 of 34 attempts, but part of that success was aided by a league-leading 10 makes from inside the 20-yard line. Loop also struggled from deep, converting an NFL-low one kick over 50 yards. His season-long make of 52 yards was the shortest season-long kick of all 32 teams. In the return game, the Ravens haven’t seen a kickoff or punt returned for a touchdown in either of the past two seasons and have only seen three total in Horton’s seven seasons as coordinator.
It’s hard to gauge Horton’s impact on a special teams unit that has been in full transition throughout his tenure, but the Ravens are obviously some years removed from the All-Pro Tucker years or the return mastery of the late Jacoby Jones. The Ravens were willing to let him go to New York, though, where injuries to Graham Gano led to a game of musical chairs at the kicker position in 2025. The Giants will hope health will bring more stability and reliability to the special teams unit next year under Horton’s leadership.
The initial blocking of Horton’s interview earlier in the week appeared to also cover assistant special teams coordinator Anthony Levine and senior special teams coach Randy Brown. Nothing was reported on either assistant, so it’s yet to be seen whether they’ll follow Horton to New York or perhaps find promotions in Baltimore.
Ravens Request To Interview Chiefs’ Joe Cullen For DC
The more things change the more they seem to stay the same. After the Ravens hired a former staffer to their head coaching role, they’re now seeking to interview another former staffer for their defensive coordinator role. Per ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the team requested to interview Chiefs defensive line coach Joe Cullen for their open defensive coordinator position. 
Cullen is very familiar with the franchise in Baltimore; he spent five seasons as the team’s defensive line coach before landing his first NFL defensive coordinator job. Immediately following the end of his playing career as a star nose guard at UMass, Cullen began his coaching career in 1990, working with the Minutemen’s running backs for a year before taking on oversight of their defensive line.
He then became a bit of an NCAA journeyman, spending time as a defensive line coach at Richmond, LSU, Memphis, and Indiana and earning short-lived promotions to defensive coordinator for the Spiders and Hoosiers. He only served three non-consecutive seasons as Richmond’s defensive coordinator and a single year as coordinator at Indiana. After that lone year with the Hoosiers, he rebounded as a defensive assistant at Illinois before accepting his first NFL coaching position.
Cullen’s NFL start came with the Lions in 2006. When the staff was let go after becoming the first team to go 0-16 in 2008, he rebounded by coaching d-line for a year at Idaho State before returning to the ranks of the NFL. Upon his return, he coached d-lines at Jacksonville for three years, Cleveland for a year, and Tampa Bay for two years before landing in Baltimore.
Cullen’s stint with the Ravens was the longest-tenured job he’s held in his career. He started in Baltimore with a young defensive line featuring Brandon Williams, Timmy Jernigan, Michael Pierce, Brent Urban, and Lawrence Guy, and by his last year with the team in 2020, he was working with Calais Campbell, Derek Wolfe, and Nnamdi Madubuike. Over that span of time, the Ravens never finished outside the top 10 defenses in points allowed and only once finished outside the top 10 in total yards allowed.
His success with the Ravens led to his first defensive coordinator opportunity in the NFL, but unfortunately, that opportunity came under Urban Meyer. Following Meyer’s early exit from Duval, Cullen returned to position coaching and has been in Kansas City ever since, working with one of the league’s most dominant defensive lineman over the years in Chris Jones.
Cullen’s time in Baltimore coincided with new head coach Jesse Minter‘s four-year stay as a Ravens defensive coach. Cullen’s history as a defensive coordinator hasn’t ever extended past even two years, but with Minter likely to still be a heavy influence on that side of the ball, Cullen’s role as coordinator may be a bit more manageable for him than it has been in the past. The Ravens moved on from long-time head coach John Harbaugh, but in searching for the coaches to reestablish the team’s defensive identity, Baltimore has looked to some familiar faces.
Cullen becomes the first name mentioned for the defensive coordinator position in Baltimore. The Ravens’ coordinator of the last two years, Zach Orr, is technically still under contract with the team, but after needing a perfect back half of the season just to finish as a top 10 defensive in his first year as DC and finishing 18th in points allowed and 24th in yards allowed this year, he’s not expected to be retained. He was requested to interview today with the Chargers for the DC position that opened with Baltimore’s hiring of Minter.
Chargers Request Zach Orr DC Interview
The Chargers lost defensive coordinator Jesse Minter yesterday. One of the NFL’s top head coaching candidates of this year’s cycle is now in place with the Ravens. 
Los Angeles could look to Baltimore to find Minter’s replacement. The Chargers have requested an interview with Ravens defensive coordinator Zach Orr for their DC vacancy, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports. Orr has held his current title with Baltimore for the past two years.
When Mike Macdonald departed to become head coach of the Seahawks in 2024, the Ravens took the familiar route of promoting from within. A former Baltimore linebacker, Orr took on the D-coordinator role as Macdonald’s replacement. The 33-year-old has been held in high regard in Baltimore throughout his tenures in the organization.
Orr struggled during his first season as DC. Changes were made along the sidelines and on the field which brought about a turnaround, though. The Ravens finished 2024 ranked ninth in points allowed. This season, things did not go according to plan. Orr’s unit consistently struggled, albeit with injuries partially to blame. Baltimore dropped to 18th in scoring defense in 2025.
That did not stop Orr from receiving external DC interest. The former UDFA interviewed with the Cowboys for their D-coordinator gig before Dallas ultimately hired Christian Parker for the role. Orr’s Ravens status remains unclear at this point with Minter likely to handle play-calling duties in Baltimore. He and Orr worked together from 2017-20.
The Chargers have Steve Clinkscale – who served as a co-DC alongside Minter at Michigan under Jim Harbaugh – in place as a strong internal replacement candidate. Los Angeles is required to conduct at least one interview with an external minority candidate, however. The team requested an interview with Rams defensive pass-game coordinator Aubrey Pleasant. Orr is now in position to receive a look as well, and it will be interesting to see if the Chargers find themselves in position to bring in Baltimore’s DC in the wake of Minter joining the Ravens.
Ravens Hire Jesse Minter As HC
Jesse Minter is officially coming back to Baltimore. The former John Harbaugh assistant will be hired as his successor. The Ravens announced the decision Thursday.
Canceling his second Browns interview earlier today, Minter has chosen one of Cleveland’s AFC North rivals. The fit is natural, given Minter’s past in Maryland. The two-year Chargers DC has worked under Jim Harbaugh at Michigan and in Los Angeles, but prior to that, he spent four seasons as a Ravens assistant. NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport initially reported the Minter hire was close.
It is rather interesting the Ravens will hire one of John Harbaugh’s former assistants given Steve Bisciotti‘s comments regarding the HC’s underachievement. But Minter drew widespread interest from around the league. Following Bisciotti’s comments about giving the new hire a long runway, Minter received a five-year contract (per ESPN’s Adam Schefter).
The Ravens have also been known for in-house hires. They promoted GM Eric DeCosta to succeed Ozzie Newsome and previously elevated position coaches to replace coordinators. Minter never rose above the position coach tier during his previous Baltimore stint, which involved defensive back coach roles, but he has impressed during his years as a defensive coordinator — at both the college and pro levels.
Minter, 42, did go through a second interview with the Raiders, who conducted that meeting on Tuesday. Minter did his second Ravens interview Wednesday. He also met about the Steelers’ HC job. That interview followed summits with the Browns, Cardinals, Dolphins, Falcons, Giants and Titans.
Minter was one of this cycle’s most popular names, and the Chargers look to have anticipated him leaving. L.A. began DC research recently, according to NFL.com’s Mike Garafolo. While DBs coach Steve Clinkscale has come up as a frontrunner to succeed Minter as the Bolts’ DC, the team will at least need to meet with one external minority candidate to constitute a search.
The Raiders were believed to have “heavy interest” in Minter, per insider Jordan Schultz. While Las Vegas has been tied to preferring an offensive HC, Minter came up Wednesday as the team’s top defensive option. But Minter canceled his Browns meeting after his second Ravens interview, following Mike McDaniel in bowing out of that search. That will add some more spice to the long-running Baltimore-Cleveland rivalry, as the Browns held him as a clear finalist.
Jim Harbaugh brought Minter with him from Ann Arbor in 2024, and the Chargers have ranked as a top-10 scoring defense each season. Minter restored a defense that was unable to take flight under Brandon Staley. The Bolts ranked first defensively in 2024 and ninth this season. The team did so despite minimal investments, as we discussed in September, on that side of the ball. Derwin James and Khalil Mack were the only Bolts defenders earning more than $6.5MM per year, and teams noticed Minter maximizing his talent.
The Ravens gave Minter his first NFL job, hiring him as a defensive assistant in 2017. That came after Minter served as Georgia State’s DC 2013-16. Previously, he was Indiana State’s DC for two seasons. The Sycamores hired Minter for that role at age 27, and he has steadily climbed the ladder since. The Ravens promoted Minter to assistant DBs coach in 2019 and DBs coach in 2020, when he served under Don Martindale.
Minter became Vanderbilt’s DC in 2021 before joining Jim Harbaugh for the same role at Michigan. The Wolverines steamrolled to a 15-0 national championship-winning season in 2023, and their defense — co-coordinated by Minter and Clinkscale — led Division I-FBS with 10.4 points allowed per game. Harbaugh gave Minter the nod at DC upon coming to L.A., and the Bolts completed a quick turnaround to book a wild-card spot. They repeated as a playoff team in 2025, and Minter — who did not draw any HC interviews on last year’s cycle — became a coveted candidate in 2026.
This is only the fourth HC hire in Ravens history, thanks to Brian Billick and John Harbaugh’s lengthy tenures. Baltimore fired Bill Belichick and hired Ted Marchibroda in 1996. This marks the first defense-based HC hire in franchise history, with Marchibroda and Billick coming from offensive backgrounds and Harbaugh a former special teams coordinator. Harbaugh lasted 18 seasons, but blown leads and repeated playoff shortcomings during the Lamar Jackson era keyed the end of his wildly successful run.
Minter will have big shoes to fill, but the Ravens have joined the Steelers in presenting a high floor. The Ravens lost more than 10 games in a season just once during Harbaugh’s time — the 2015 campaign that featured a season-ending Joe Flacco injury — and they have Jackson signed through the 2027 season.
Extension talks with the superstar quarterback are expected, and Jackson was believed to have provided input during the coaching search. The Ravens still have Kliff Kingsbury on their OC radar, according to Rapoport. Joe Brady, who also met about Baltimore’s HC position, is also believed to be a coordinator candidate. Brady, though, remains up for a promotion in Buffalo. He is also part of multiple HC searches. Five jobs remain open.
Kingsbury came up as a Ravens option shortly after Harbaugh’s ouster, and he interviewed for both the team’s HC and OC jobs. Considering the success Kingsbury had with Jayden Daniels in 2024, he would be an appealing staffer to pair with Jackson. It will also be interesting to see if this hire impacts Harbaugh’s ability to fill out his Giants staff, as Minter could be interested in retaining some assistants. Harbaugh already got to work dismantling the Giants’ staff Wednesday.
The Ravens still employ some defenders from Minter’s first Baltimore stint. Marlon Humphrey arrived during Minter’s first season, playing under the then-DBs coach, while Nnamdi Madubuike and Broderick Washington were 2020 draftees. The Ravens traded for two-year Minter pupil Alohi Gilman before the deadline. This hire would point to the team being interested in re-signing the ex-Chargers starter.
Entering the 2025 season having ranked below 10th defensively just once over the past nine seasons, the Ravens finished 18th in scoring defense and 24th in yardage. Minter will be tasked with restoring Baltimore to its upper-crust version. His OC hire will be critical, but the Ravens have employed HCs without offensive backgrounds throughout the Jackson and Flacco eras. Running the risk of losing play-callers is nothing new here, and unlike the 2008 Harbaugh hire, the Ravens will opt for familiarity rather than taking a chance on someone with no history with the franchise.
Jesse Minter Cancels Browns HC Interview
Jesse Minter was scheduled to interview with the Browns for a second time today. Instead, that will no longer be the case. 
Minter has canceled his follow-up, as first reported by Mary Kay Cabot of cleveland.com. This news comes as the Chargers defensive coordinator “likely” feels other HC options are more certain at this time, she adds. According to NFL insider Jordan Schultz, Minter’s second interview with the Ravens yesterday went “very well.”
The Raiders are also in the running at this point, Schultz confirms. Minter met with Vegas for a second time on Tuesday. That makes him one of only two finalists still on the market as things stand in the Raiders’ case. Today’s Browns update certainly points in the direction of Minter winding up with either the Ravens or the Raiders relatively soon.
Minter is now the second candidate to withdraw from Cleveland’s ongoing search. Mike McDaniel recently did the same, and he is now positioned to become the Chargers’ next offensive coordinator. The Browns will once again turn their attention elsewhere with Minter no longer in the running as well. Internal and external finalists remain in contention.
The possibility of defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz being promoted to head coach has long been a talking point during the 2026 hiring cycle. Keeping Schwartz within the organization in one capacity or another is seen as a high priority, and he was recently reported to be the favorite for the HC gig. Todd Monken has interviewed twice with the Browns, meaning he is a candidate to return to Cleveland instead of his expected move of following John Harbaugh to the Giants as their offensive coordinator.
The Browns are also among the teams which have shown considerable interest in Jaguars OC Grant Udinski. The sides will meet for a second interview tomorrow. Meanwhile, Cleveland has also requested a follow-up with Rams pass-game coordinator Nate Scheelhaase. One cannot be arranged until next week, since Los Angeles advanced to the NFC championship game.
Minter was among the finalists for the Falcons before they ultimately hired Kevin Stefanski. A two-year coordinator at the NFL level, Minter has loomed as one of the top defensive HC candidates in particular throughout the hiring cycle. The 42-year-old has previously worked with the Ravens, and his time in the AFC West has made him a familiar face to the Raiders. Signs point to Minter joining one of those teams as the coaching landscape comes further into focus.
Giants Request OC Interview With Willie Taggart
Todd Monken continues to loom as the Giants‘ expected offensive coordinator hire. Other staffers currently in place with the Ravens are receiving a look as well, though. 
New York has requested an interview with Willie Taggart, ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reports. He is one of several coaches with a history of working under Harbaugh who represents a logical target for the Giants. Taggart served as a college head coach with five different programs between 2010 and 2022.
[RELATED: Harbaugh Begins Sweeping Changes On Giants’ Staff]
After a lengthy run in the NCAA ranks, Taggart took his first NFL gig by joining Harbaugh’s Ravens staff. For 2023 and ’24, the 49-year-old held the role of Baltimore’s running backs coach. This past season, Taggart maintained that responsibility while also having assistant head coach added to his title.
The Ravens have consistently been among the NFL’s top rushing teams for several years, and Taggart has played a key role in that success. Over the past two seasons, he has coached a unit led by Derrick Henry, who has amassed over 3,500 rushing yards and scored 32 touchdowns upon transitioning from Tennessee to Baltimore. Other backs such as Justice Hill and Keaton Mitchell have found notable roles as well during Taggart’s Ravens tenure.
The Giants saw Cam Skattebo emerge as a productive figure on offense before his rookie campaign came to an abrupt end. New York also has wideout Malik Nabers in place as a productive young roster piece along with quarterback Jaxson Dart, whose presence was among the selling points for Harbaugh to become the team’s new head coach. That decision will soon see a number of Baltimore staffers receive the opportunity to come to New York in the case of interview requests which are not blocked. Taggart would not take on OC duties in the expected event of a Monken hire, but he still represents a candidate for another important role on Harbaugh’s 2026 staff.
Vikings Extend DC Brian Flores; Flores Still HC Candidate
While Brian Flores is currently pursuing a higher position elsewhere, the Vikings have signed him to an extension. According to Tom Pelissero of NFL Network, Flores is still considered a candidate for the open head coaching jobs in Pittsburgh and Baltimore, but he’ll now have his job as defensive coordinator in Minnesota if those teams end up hiring other candidates. 
Similiar to another coach on the offensive side of the ball, Mike McDaniel, Flores was getting interest around the league lately for his potential to become both a team’s new head coach or a team’s new defensive coordinator. The former Dolphins head coaches were both looking to return to another leading role, and Flores has interviewed with the Ravens and Steelers, while also being mentioned as a candidate for the job in Las Vegas.
With his contract as defensive coordinator in Minnesota coming to an end, though, other teams around the league were showing signs of interest in Flores continuing in his role as a defensive play-caller. A week ago, he interviewed for the job in Washington, so the speculation was already up in the air on whether Flores would end up being a head coach or a coordinator with a new team. With this extension in place, though, Flores’ two options are to land a head coaching job with a new team or return to the Vikings and remain as defensive coordinator.
Head coach Kevin O’Connell had recently expressed doubt that Flores would leave for the same job with another team. In reaction to the news of Flores’ extension, per ESPN’s Kevin Seifer, O’Connell told the media, “The identity of our defense is a reflection of his leadership and preparation. On a personal level, I’ve really valued the relationship we’ve built over the last three years, and that shared trust, alignment, and high standard will continue to be critical to our success.”
As Flores had continued as a candidate outside the building, the team had held discussions concerning the potential for a new deal like this with Flores, per Ian Rapoport of NFL Network. In his three years as defensive coordinator in Minnesota, Flores’ unit has given up the second-fewest points per game in the NFL over that span. The unit has improved each year and finished seventh in points allowed and third in yards allowed at its peak this season, anchored by a defense that gave up the league’s second-fewest passing yards per game this year.
The Ravens are starting to select finalists as they move slowly through their interview process, and the Steelers have made it known that Flores is considered to be a “serious contender” to land as their head coach, but the Vikings have been loud in their assertion that seeing him return to lead the defense was their No. 1 priority. Now, they’ve held up their end of the bargain and secured his place on next year’s staff. They’ll just have to hope that Baltimore and Pittsburgh neglect to had him a bigger opportunity.
Ravens Blocking Several Giants Interview Requests
The Ravens may have fired John Harbaugh, but they have no intention of letting his top lieutenants follow him to New York.
Baltimore has blocked a lateral move for special teams coordinator Chris Horton, per NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo, preventing him from taking the same position on Harbaugh’s new staff. For the moment, the Ravens are holding onto assistant special teams coordinator Anthony Levine and senior special teams coach Randy Brown, though that could change once they land on a new head coach.
Harbaugh came up as a special teams coordinator, so it is no surprise he wants to bring his special teams assistants to New York. Brown worked with Harbaugh in Philadelphia and joined his original staff in Baltimore as a kicking consultant. Horton got his NFL start in Baltimore in 2014, while Levine was a Ravens special teams ace for a decade before retiring and joining their coaching staff. Levine currently has interest from the Buccaneers in their coordinator position, which would be a promotion that the Ravens cannot block.
The Giants, nonetheless, plan to continue undeterred with their pursuit of Ravens coaches, as well as employees in other roles. The team could submit 20 or more interview requests, per ESPN’s Jordan Raanan. Baltimore may not be able to block all of those requests, which could force individuals to choose between their loyalty to Harbaugh and their loyalty to the Ravens.
Of course, Baltimore’s new head coach may be more willing to let certain coaches go as he fills his staff. Like Harbaugh, he could draw from the ranks of his former team, which could put the Ravens in the same position that the Giants are in right now.