Breakdown With Ravens Country: How Can the Ravens' Defense Influence the Jaguars?

The Jacksonville Jaguars will likely see a facelift on the defensive side of the ball in 2021, a change that has been years in the making. The change will mostly be spurred by a group of coaches the Jaguars have reportedly plucked from one of the NFL's best defenses.

Jaguars head coach Urban Meyer has yet to formally announce his coaching staff, but multiple reports have indicated that three of his assistants will be Joe Cullen, Sterling Lucas, and Zach Orr -- three members of the Baltimore Ravens coaching staff last season.

Considering the Ravens have finished in the top-9 of defensive DVOA every season since 2016, including numerous top-5 finishes, it isn't hard to see why the Jaguars will reportedly venture down the path of surrounding themselves with Ravens coaches.

To get a better idea of what those coaches bring to the table and just how much Baltimore's defense could influence the Jaguars, we posed a few questions to Raven Country's Todd Karpovich.

Q: Joe Cullen has been Baltimore's defensive line coaches for some time. What did you make of his tenure and the unit during his time?

Karpovich: Cullen is an experienced coach that knows how to develop players. He played a key role in Baltimore where the Ravens allowed the fewest yards rushing over his five-year tenure. Cullen also learned a great deal from Baltimore defensive coordinator Don Martindale, who does a solid job making in-game adjustments and developing schemes to keep opponents off-balance.

Q: Zach Orr has had a winding road to the NFL coaching ranks. What do you remember about him as a player and how impressive is it to you to see him rise like this?

Karpovich: Orr was a quintessential Ravens player, rising from an undrafted rookie from North Texas to a regular starter. He tied for eighth in the NFL with 132 combined tackles and earned second-team All-Pro honors before his career was cut short in 2017 because of a congenital spine condition. Orr is a student of the game, and expect him to continue to rise through the ranks.

Q: What kind of identity on defense do you think the Baltimore coaches will bring to Jacksonville?

Karpovich: The Jaguars will be much more aggressive with Cullen and Orr. The Ravens blitzed more than any NFL team and that Cullen will maintain that philosophy in Jacksonville. This means the safeties will be more creative in how they attack the quarterback. There will also be a strong emphasis on creating turnovers, especially stripping the ball away from wide receivers after a catch.

Q: What do you think it is about Baltimore's defensive staff and ecosystem that is so appealing to teams like the Jaguars?

Karpovich: The Ravens are disciplined and well-coached on defense. The players are also expected to be versatile, which creates matchup problems. The coaching staff is adept at making adjustments. For example, running back Derrick Henry had 133 yards rushing in Tennessee’s 30-24 victory in Week 11. However, the Ravens held Henry to just 40 yards rushing in their 20-13 victory in the wild-card round of the playoffs. Ravens coach John Harbaugh is also a good manager and built a winning culture and that has resulted in other teams poaching his coaches.

Q: How big of a loss is Cullen, Orr, and Sterling Lucas?

Karpovich: The Ravens were able to retain both Martindale and offensive coordinator Greg Roman, which softens the blow of losing these other coaches. Nonetheless, it’s a loss because the new personnel will have to adjust to Harbaugh’s management. Expectations are consistently high in Baltimore so the new coaches will need to be a quick study because there won’t be much of an orientation period. The Jaguars have a key opportunity to build the foundation for long-term success.