Raven Country

Is Jesse Minter The Right Choice For The Ravens?

The Baltimore Ravens took a big gamble committing to a first-year head coach.
Jordon Lawrenz|
Aug 7, 2025; El Segundo, CA, USA; Los Angeles Chargers defensive coordinator Jesse Minter at press conference during training camp at The Bolt. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
Aug 7, 2025; El Segundo, CA, USA; Los Angeles Chargers defensive coordinator Jesse Minter at press conference during training camp at The Bolt. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

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Baltimore Ravens

While technically he has one win on his resume, the Baltimore Ravens know Jesse Minter is coming to their team as a first-year head coach.

Minter served as Michigan's interim head coach during Jim Harbaugh's 2023 suspension, but it's not like he had much of a challenge taking down East Carolina.

His 1-0 career record leaves a lot to be desired, especially knowing that was at the collegiate level and there were plenty of other head coach candidates that had a boatload of experience.

That said, the Ravens didn't make a mistake hiring Minter. As inexperienced in that department as he may be, this is exactly the sort of hire that this team needed, specifically on the defensive side of the ball.

Ravens Made The Right Choice

Throughout this entire process, the Los Angeles Chargers defensive coordinator was fielding interviews left and right. Once he cancelled one with the Cleveland Browns, the writing was on the wall.

Moving on from Jim's brother, John, is going to be much easier said than done. Knowing Minter was able to learn from some of the best throughout his career is a great sign as he's immediately thrown into deep waters.

Minter's coordinator hires will play a pivotal role in just how much damage the Ravens can do in the 2026 season. There's no reason to believe they won't be the division favorites, but everyone saw how that went this year with the season on the line in Week 18.

This Team Needed A Fresh Start

Hiring a guy like Kevin Stefanski, Brian Dabboll, Matt Nagy, Mike McCarthy or even Mike McDaniel would've felt like a lateral move. After being complacent with Harbaugh for so long, this team needed to take a risk.

It's not like bringing Minter in is the biggest risk in the world, especially since he's worked with the team before, but it's still a huge leap going from someone with all the experience in the world to someone who will be coaching his first career game come Week 1.

Ultimately, the Ravens should have nothing to worry about. There will be learning curves and mistakes made along the way, but this team, and defensive specifically, is in a much better spot. Seeing as Minter was able to turn the Chargers defense into a Top 5 unit, the sky truly is the limit for a team that has struggled in that department for as long as Lamar Jackson has been here.

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Jordon Lawrenz
JORDON LAWRENZ

Jordon Lawrenz is a writer for On SI, part of the Sports Illustrated Network. Jordon is an accomplished writer for NFL, MLB, and college football/basketball. He contributes to PFSN’s and Heavy’s NFL coverage. Having graduated from the University of Wisconsin - Green Bay with a Sports Communication and Journalism degree, Jordon fully embraced the sports writing lifestyle upon his relocation to Florida.

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