Mike Macdonald, Ravens React to Zach Orr Hire: ‘Knock It Out Of The Park!’
Replacing one of the top defensive coordinators in football won't be easy, but that's the task at hand for the Baltimore Ravens.
With Mike Macdonald gone after being hired as the Seattle Seahawks head coach, the Ravens hired former inside linebacker Zach Orr as their next defensive coordinator. With Orr being the inside linebackers coach for the last two seasons while Macdonald was the defensive playcaller, the duo grew together as they led one of the best defenses in football. Baltimore's defense led the league in sacks (60), allowed the fewest points per game (16.5) and was tied for first in turnovers (31).
Zach Orr.
USA TODAY
With Orr taking over for Macdonald, the Seahawks head coach had high praise for the newly hired Ravens defensive coordinator and thinks he'll one day lead more than just a defense.
"He's going to knock it out of the park," Macdonald said of Orr on 105.7 The Fan. "He is a future head coach in this league, so enjoy him while you have him. The guys are going to play with their hair on fire, and they're going to play together."
Under Orr, Baltimore developed one of the best inside linebacker duos in football with Roquan Smith and Patrick Queen. Smith led the team with 163 tackles and was a first-team All-Pro, while Queen had a career-high 133 tackles and made the second-team All-Pro.
That duo may not return though, as Queen is a free agent this offseason, and Baltimore may not be able to break the bank for him with just over $5 million in cap space. Even if Queen's future is elsewhere, he had high praise for Orr and his work as his position coach and can be everything the Ravens defense needs.
"He cares," Queen said. "He ain't going to rest until he gets the job done. Him being so young, he can relate to everybody and being that he played the game at a high level [and was an] All-Pro. He’s everything that you’d want in a coach, somebody that’s been in your shoes before, that understands you, and just knows defense and knows ball."
Before entering the coaching ranks in 2017 as a defensive analyst in Baltimore, Orr was signed as an undrafted free agent out of North Texas by the Ravens in 2014. Orr got his shot as a starting linebacker in 2016 and made the most of it, leading the team with 132 tackles and 7.5 tackles for loss. Right as his career was taking off, Orr suffered two herniated discs in Week 16 against the Pittsburgh Steelers. In the aftermath of the injury, the Ravens' medical team found that Orr had a congenital spine/neck condition, and he retired after the 2016 season.
Though Orr's playing career was cut short, Ravens Executive Vice President and General Manager Eric DeCosta said he knew the former linebacker had what it took to become a good coach one day.
"What made Zach so good as a player was [that] he had a great instinct for the game," DeCosta said. "He was very, very quick to key and diagnose, and he played with a passion, and he was just relentless to the football. Those qualities make a great coach, so I have no doubt that Zach is going to be a great defensive coordinator and probably, if I had a crystal ball, a head coach someday."
With everything Orr had to overcome to get to this point, Smith is excited to work with him as the Ravens' defensive coordinator after being his position coach.
"Just the adversity he's faced and just his mindset throughout the week, day in and day out, helped me and [Patrick Queen] throughout the week and the defense in general," Smith said. "I think he's going to be great, and I'm excited to hear him calling calls in the mic."
Ravens safety Kyle Hamilton, who made the first-team All-Pro, echoed Smith and Queen's sentiment about Orr, noting his relationship with the new Ravens defensive coordinator and his ability to lead.
"[Zach Orr] is my dog," Hamilton said. "He's a great dude, great coach [and] knows what he's talking about. I think a bunch of the guys are going to be behind him and it's awesome to see the success he's had."
Time will only tell if Orr has what it takes to keep the Ravens' defense as one of the best in the NFL. If the support he's received from Macdonald and his players is any indication, Orr could be primed to pick up right where the Seahawks head coach left off. And if the Ravens' defense can stay among the NFL's best, it may not be long before he gets his shot as a head coach as well.
