According to Jeff Zrebiec of the Baltimore Sun, Leslie Frazier, a former NFL cornerback who was the Minnesota Vikings head coach for parts of four seasons and spent the past two years as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers defensive coordinator, was named the Ravens’ new secondary coach.
Chris Hewitt, the Ravens defensive backs coach during the 2015 season, will work with Frazier. Matt Weiss, who worked with the cornerbacks this past season, will now coach the linebackers alongside holdover Don Martindale, whose role will expand after he worked primarily with the inside linebackers last year. The Ravens had an opening for a linebackers coach after Ted Monachino left the organization last week to become the defensive coordinator of the Indianapolis Colts.
The Ravens hired former Buccaneers assistant Joe Cullen as their defensive line coach. The Ravens’ longtime defensive line coach, Clarence Brooks, is battling esophageal cancer and will have surgery in the coming weeks. He’s expected to remain on Harbaugh’s staff in 2016 as a senior defensive assistant.
The Ravens also have elevated the role of Scott Cohen, a consultant last year who will have a full-time position as a coaching assistant/opponent analyst.
The defensive staff shake-up comes after the conclusion of a disappointing 5-11 regular season. The defense finished eighth in the league in yards allowed per game (337.4) and was one of the stingiest units in the league for the second half of the season.
However, the group struggled to create turnovers and finish games strong for a second straight year. The Ravens forced just 14 turnovers all year, tied for second fewest in the NFL. They also had a league- and franchise-low six interceptions. The previous franchise low for interceptions was 11, set during the 2014 and 2005 seasons.
At the “State of the Ravens” address, Harbaugh praised the job that defensive coordinator Dean Pees and his staff did, but stressed the importance of creating more turnovers and getting to the quarterback more consistently.
“I know what kind of coach Dean Pees is. I look at the season and the improvements that we made — especially in the back end — throughout the course of the season, and that’s what you look for,” Harbaugh said. “… We still have plenty of work to do, but I trust in Dean. I know he is a very good coach. All those guys — I know they are good coaches. You work side by side with a bunch of guys through a season like this, you find out what they’re made of. And I like our guys.”
In case you’re wondering how Pro Football Focus sees the lineup in 2016 for the Ravens in September, here’s a visual:
“The Ravens head into 2016 with a similar quality of team to the one they had in 2015,” wrote PFF’s Gordon McGuinness. “That might seem like a bad thing coming off a 5-11 season, but given how injury-riddled the Ravens roster was last year, it’s not all doom and gloom. They’ve added key pieces for the future through the draft, as well as two pass catchers for Joe Flacco in free agency in Wallace and tight end Ben Watson. Really, the keys for the Ravens this season will be staying healthy, and hopefully finally getting some production from 2015 first-round draft pick Breshad Perriman. If they can, they should be able to compete in a tough AFC North in 2016.”
PFF also projected the starters for the Ravens’ base offense and defense with the website’s 2015 grades for each player in the images below.
Here are Sarah Ellison’s notes on this, she of BaltimoreRavens.com fame:
- The starting offensive line is interesting, as PFF predicts the Ravens will stick with Eugene Monroe at left tackle and get first-round pick Ronnie Stanley’s feet wet at left guard.
- Wide receiver Kamar Aiken holds onto his starting role despite the addition ofMike Wallace and return of Perriman.
- I absolutely don’t understand starting Maxx Williams over newly-signed Benjamin Watson and Crockett Gillmore. Williams has great potential, but it’s hard to see him overcoming the vets for the starting role.
- Zachary Orr wins the starting inside linebacker role next to C.J. Mosley. That’s certainly possible as Orr was the player who came in on third downs for Daryl Smith last year.
- Cornerback Shareece Wright holds onto the starting job alongside Jimmy Smith. Wright had a very strong conclusion to last season, and he fends off newcomers Jerraud Powers and Tavon Young (both may be best suited as a nickel) andWill Davis, who is returning from an ACL injury.
- Lawrence Guy takes over the defensive end role vacated by Chris Canty. That is probably Guy’s job to lose, but he will certainly share snaps with fourth-round pick Bronson Kaufusi and Brent Urban .
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