Ravens News 2/27: Coaching Title changes and more

By putting a premium on tight ends, the Ravens have been able to produce a unique offense - Ryan Homier

“We’ve always thought that was an important position and then with our offense, Greg Roman, he’s always been a coach that liked a lot of multiple looks,” DeCosta said. ”And I think tight ends really do factor into that.”

For Baltimore’s offense to do what it did in 2019, the tight end position had to contribute a great amount. Seeing a vision for the future, the Ravens set out to get those pieces through the draft in recent years. The result? Potentially the most talented and deep tight end group in the NFL and an offense like none other.

”I think Greg Roman has done a great job of taking all those pieces and making us a very innovative and unique offense,” DeCosta said.

Ravens Coaching Announcements

Baltimore Ravens head coach John Harbaugh announced Wednesday several title changes on his 2020 coaching staff.

Below are the following coaching title changes:

Chris Horton – special teams coordinator (formerly special teams coach)

Randy Brown – special teams coach (formerly assistant special teams coach)

Chris Hewitt – pass defense coordinator (formerly defensive backs coach)

Sterling Lucas – defensive assistant/defensive line (formerly defensive assistant/linebackers)

Jesse Minter – defensive backs coach (formerly assistant defense backs coach)

Drew Wilkins – outside linebackers coach (formerly assistant defensive line & OLBs coach)

Chris Hewitt

Hewitt enters his ninth-year coaching with the Ravens after serving as the team’s defensive backs coach for the past five seasons (2015-19).

Baltimore tallied a 77.5 defensive passer rating in 2019, which stood as the NFL’s second-best mark.

2020 NFL combine: Draft needs, prospects to target for all 32 NFL teams - Jamison Hensley

Baltimore Ravens

Pass-rusher. The Ravens managed only nine sacks with a four-man rush last season, which were the fewest in the NFL in nine years. Baltimore has to address its rush on the interior and the edge so it doesn’t have to rely so heavily on the blitz to get to the quarterback. The Ravens haven’t drafted a pass-rusher in the first round since Terrell Suggs in 2003. Iowa’s A.J. Epenesa would be a great fit, but it would be a surprise if he falls to the bottom of the first round. More positions to watch: Interior OL, ILB, WR

NFL combine 2020 results: A.J. Epenesa, Marlon Davidson winners as edge rushers and defensive linemen weigh in - Chris Trapasso

Edge rusher winners

A.J. Epenesa, Iowa. We all expected Epenesa to have some monstrous numbers at the weigh-in, and he did. His figures, across the board, were more impressive than Chase Young’s and not far off from Myles Garrett’s three years ago.

Yetur Gross-Matos, Penn State. At 6-5 and 266, the Penn State star looks like a traditional defensive end. Add in his nearly 35-inch arms, and you have a towering presence on the outside.

K’Lavon Chaisson, LSU. Chaisson was listed at 6-4 and 250 pounds, and if there are any clear-cut concerns about him, it’s that he’s not imposing physically. To bulk up close to 255 — instead of being under his listed weight like many prospects are — with a wingspan over 79 inches led to a huge weigh in for Chaisson.

Terrell Lewis, Alabama. On film, Lewis looks a little lanky. No one will be calling him that anymore at over 6-5 and 262. He has vines for arms too, which is very helpful around the edge. His 83 4/8 inch wingspan was the second-longest of the edge rusher group.

Defensive line winners

Marlon Davidson, Auburn. Davidson’s conversion from edge rusher at Auburn to defensive tackle in the NFL continues. He weighed in at 297 at the Senior Bowl and is now up to 303. He was a lower-level athlete on the outside in college yet used his hands well and had plenty of power. He could prove to be one of the most dynamic athletes at defensive tackle in this year’s draft.

NFL combine 2020 results: K’Lavon Chaisson, Terrell Lewis stand out as linebackers weigh in - Josh Edwards

LB winners

Akeem Davis-Gaither, Appalachian State. Davis-Gaither is a modern NFL linebacker in the sense that he is smaller and can cover sideline to sideline. He measured a little taller and heavier than expected, which is good for his stock. The gap between Patrick Queen and Davis-Gaither should not be as big as what some have made it seem over the past month.

Malik Harrison, Ohio State. Harrison checked in near 250 pounds, which was a bit of a surprise. He appeared to be thinner in college but either added weight during the pre-draft process or just carries it really well.