The Baltimore Ravens have reshaped their coaching staff, promoting Anthony Weaver to defensive coordinator and hiring former offensive coordinator Joe Lombardi. The moves blend internal continuity with fresh ideas and set the stage for a season where the Ravens aim to sharpen both sides of the ball.
Weaver Back with the Baltimore Ravens
Weaver’s promotion keeps defensive leadership in familiar hands. He’s already well-known inside the building after serving as assistant head coach and defensive line coach, and that familiarity should help the unit transition smoothly. Weaver’s coaching background includes time as a coordinator elsewhere, and he’s earned a reputation for developing players and running disciplined, physical defenses.
Weaver inherits a defense that has been a cornerstone of the franchise. His immediate task is to preserve what’s worked: toughness, gap discipline, and situational awareness. Because he’s promoted from within, essentially after two seasons with the Miami Dolphins, the learning curve for players should be short.
Doyle-Lombardi Combo Should Mesh Well
Declan Doyle arrives with a reputation for creativity and modern scheming as the new offensive coordinator. But this is the first time he will call plays, so bringing in a veteran to help out, like Lombardi, who has plenty of experience running in a similar offensive system, makes sense. His background working with tight ends and in passing-game roles fits well with Baltimore’s roster construction, which values multi-purpose players who can block, run routes, and create mismatches.
Doyle’s challenge is to expand the Ravens’ playbook without losing the physical identity that defines their offense. Expect more layered route combinations, smarter use of motion and tempo, and creative ways to get playmakers in space. If he can open up the intermediate passing game while keeping the run game effective, the offense could take a noticeable step forward. Lombardi can elevate the first-time playcaller with his experience running various offensive systems under different head coaches.
The former offensive coordinator for the Denver Broncos, New Orleans Saints, Los Angeles Chargers, and Detroit Lions gives him the leg up in terms of what he has seen, and Doyle was on the Saints back in 2019 as an assistant under Sean Payton, who is the current head coach of the Broncos.
Lombardi was the OC for Denver the past three seasons and was let go after their loss to the New England Patriots in the AFC Championship game.
The Biggest Beneficiary with Minter’s New Staff
On defense, the player likely getting a bump up in the creative ways with head coach and defensive play caller Jesse Minter is Kyle Hamilton. With the Chargers, just plug him where Derwin James was in their defense. But Hamilton is already a budding All-Pro and among the star defenders in the league, at safety and in general with his impact.
The biggest overall benefit to these new coaching hires and moves is going to be Lamar Jackson. An MVP-caliber quarterback in a unique and fun scheme like Doyle’s, where he and Ben Johnson cooked for Caleb Williams, leading them to a playoff berth at the top of the NFC North for the Chicago Bears, is a sick thought heading into 2026.
While injuries were the biggest hindrance for Jackson in 2025, the hope is that expanding the offensive playbook, even more than Todd Monken did, with Derrick Henry and a ferocious run game all coming back, will prove to have better results than the last two seasons in the playoffs. Something new and fresh can be good if executed properly, and having a Payton-style offense that many quarterbacks have thrived in is something Jackson has to be excited about.
While Monken (current head coach of the Cleveland Browns) did wonders the last few years and did way better than Greg Roman (now the run game coordinator for the New York Giants), a new scheme and system with an upgraded defense might mean all wheels up for Baltimore next season, albeit depending on the moves they could make this offseason.
The real test will come in training camp and early-season play-calling.
Weaver should blend traditional fronts with sub-package looks on defense in Minter’s scheme, and Doyle should open the intermediate passing game while preserving the run-first identity with him and Lombardi on offense. If both coordinators get buy-in, especially the offensive tandem, and translate ideas into execution with Minter and his defense with Weaver installs, the Ravens could be better positioned for a deeper playoff run.
