Getty Matt Weiss in his 2011 headshot with Baltimore.
The Baltimore Ravens have endured a lot of change already this offseason, and so far, the biggest spot that could see the most amount of turnover is the coaching staff.
After it looked like things had settled down on the hiring front more than a bit, a surprise move played out over the weekend, with the team’s successful running backs coach moving on to a new opportunity in college. Much like former linebacker coach Mike Macdonald, Ravens’ running back coach Matt Weiss is leaving for the University of Michigan.
The news was broken by NFL Network reporter Ian Rapoport on Sunday.
Weiss has overseen one of the best rushing attacks in the NFL the last few seasons, given the work of Gus Edwards, J.K. Dobbins and Mark Ingram under his watch. The Ravens have shattered several records including in 2019 when they shattered the team rushing mark in the NFL by rushing for 3,296 yards.
Weiss will leave Baltimore to work for Jim Harbaugh and the Wolverines, where he will be in charge of quarterbacks. The pair has a history having worked together with Stanford when Weiss was a graduate assistant, so him departing John Harbaugh’s staff to work with his former boss again in a formal role isn’t that much of a surprise.
After looking like the offseason was finished off, the Ravens will now need another coach to come in and fill the void.
Matt Weiss Resume
Weiss has been in the league since 2009 when he joined the Ravens as an advisor to the coaching staff. In 2014, he was promoted to the assistant linebacker coach role. By 2015, Weiss had been promoted in Baltimore again, serving as the team’s cornerback coach. 2016 saw Weiss depart the defensive side of the ball for the offensive side, sliding in as an assistant quarterbacks coach. When working with the running backs, Weiss managed to get a solid paring and help the team’s attack become one of the most feared in the entire NFL.
At Michigan, Weiss will be in charge of helping Harbaugh find quarterback solutions for the team.
Ravens Facing Major 2021 Staff Changes
The Ravens have attracted plenty of interest and seen plenty of moving parts this offseason as it relates to others getting new jobs. Quarterbacks coach James Urban interviewed for a role as new Detroit Lions’ offensive coordinator, but that job went to Anthony Lynn. While defensive coordinator Don Martindale will stay, linebacker coach Mike Macdonald has already departed for Michigan to run Jim Harbaugh’s defense. Defensive backs coach Jesse Minter will leave to be Vanderbilt’s defensive coordinator. Culley joined the lineup of departing Ravens coaches when he secured the Houston Texans head coaching job. Zach Orr also departed for Jacksonville along with Joe Cullen.
The Ravens added names like Rob Ryan, Tee Martin, Keith Williams and others to the staff to help account for these losses. Who will join them next? That’s the important question as the team begins to think about making another hire to account for the departure of Weiss.
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