Baltimore Ravens OL Coach Dwayne Ledford Shares Vision for Revamped Unit

The Baltimore Ravens have a new motto that they live by in the offensive trenches that will help raise the level of play for the entire offense as a whole.

Mar 2, 2025; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Atlanta Falcons Dwayne Ledford during the 2025 NFL Combine at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

This offseason has been one of seismic change for the Baltimore Ravens, following the firing of longtime Super Bowl-winning head coach John Harbaugh and the hiring of Jesse Minter to succeed him as the franchise's next steward.

One of the first hires he made to his staff, even before zeroing in on an offensive coordinator, was renowned offensive line coach Dwayne Ledford, formerly of the Atlanta Falcons, to serve in the same role in Baltimore and as the offensive run game coordinator.

As a former NFL offensive lineman himself, Ledford can relate to his players in a way not all coaches can, and his motto of "speed off the ball" is a core principle in his philosophy as a teacher and developer of talent.

“It’s a phrase that I’ve become very familiar with and something I’ve always used,” Ledford said in a recent appearance on 'The Lounge' podcast. “You talk about it because you want the guys to be able to play fast and you want to make it to where if we can get those guys to be the athletes that they are where you make it so that the training aspect of it that they feel so comfortable in their movements that and their assignments that it’s all about playing fast.”

Ledford believes that the faster they play upfront, the harder they’ll be to slow down as a blocking unit and offense overall.

“It’s also a little bit of a demeanor and how you carry yourself,” Ledford said. “It’s kind of like that attack kind of mindset.”

Whether they’re on the field in practice or going over film of it in the meeting room, speed off the ball is constantly being emphasized and preached ad nauseum so that it can become second nature and fully adopted as the mentality of the entire position group. He literally wears it on his head, embroidered on a snapback hat, just so anyone who sees him knows what his coaching style is all about.

“If somebody sees me, I want them to be able to say ‘Speed off the ball’, no doubt,” Ledford said.

When anyone turns on film of the Ravens offensive line, Ledford wants the speed at which they are playing to be one of, if not the, first trait they notice.

“When you look at the whole group of the offense, and as a team, just how fast are they playing? Does it look like they’re slow here and there or is it everyone look like they’re on the same page in unison and just really coming off the football playing fast all across the board,” Ledford said.

Not only does he want to always see linemen firing off the ball at the snap, but also hustling downfield once the ball is out of the quarterback’s hands on passes and past the line of scrimmage on runs through the echo of the whistle.

“Wherever the ball carrier is, we are there with him,” Ledford said. “It could be down the field, we’re there helping him up. I want you to see the kind of effort and the finish that those guys play with.”

Ravens still want to have a diverse rushing attack

Dec 27, 2025; Green Bay, Wisconsin, USA; Baltimore Ravens running back Derrick Henry (22) during the game against the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-Imagn Images | Jeff Hanisch-Imagn Images

During his five-year stint in Atlanta, Ledford turned the Falcons' ground game from one of the worst in the league to a top 10 unit each of the past four seasons. Since those offenses primarily utilized outside zone-heavy blocking schemes, many believe that the Ravens would also be heading in that direction under him moving forward, but he isn't pigeonholing or limiting them into a single schematic box.

“When you’re looking at the scheme, it’s a scheme in which you’re talking about speed off the ball, toughness and finish, it’s got to be a scheme also in which it showcases that,” Ledford said. “We’ll be multiple in everything that we do and want to be able to present a lot of different issues to the defense.

“But at the core of it, we want to make sure it’s where those guys are playing fast and they’re playing together and in these first stages of it when you’re getting together for the first time, that’s the fun thing about it is when you’re building it.”

The best coaches cater their scheme to their players' strengths instead of trying to fit square pegs into round holes and running plays and concepts they might not excel at executing consistently. With the Falcons, Ledford’s rushing attack leaned heavily into the outside zone concepts because of the type of offensive linemen and running backs that were at his disposal.

In Baltimore, he has revamped group of linemen that are athletic, powerful and tenacious, as well as one of the best power running backs in NFL history with five-time Pro Bowler Derrick Henry. The future Hall of Famer can thrive in running outside zone as well, with the speed to get the edge and explode upfield for big plays, so the Ravens can be as multiple as they want.

“You’re going to play to the strength of the team that you’re on,” Ledford said. “(Outside/wide zone) is something I kind of cut my teeth on early on in coaching and I’ve kind of ran that at all stops, so it’ll certainly be a part of it here but at the same time, we want to be able to take things that we know our guys do well and also have interest in that as well and be multiple in our approach.”

Just as important as the schematic concepts that they're implementing, the connection and rapport that they’re building at the same time as a group will also be integral to their success on the field when it comes time to suit up and play games.

“It’s really the connection you’re getting within the group and also as a player to a coach and also the room,” Ledford said. “Being connected as a group, working on that and developing that, that’s a fun time.”