The problem with the Baltimore Ravens offense in 2025 wasn’t necessarily a lack of imagination, but a lack of common sense.
It was one of the more shocking developments over John Harbaugh’s final season as head coach, considering he’d carved out almost 2 decades on the job as being one of the steadier hands on an NFL sideline.
Harbaugh’s inability to seemingly just call more running plays for Derrick Henry when Lamar Jackson was hurt — and to stick with that plan when he came back — played a huge part in his team missing the playoffs and him losing his job after 18 seasons.
There are 2 basic schools of thought when it comes to hiring the Ravens’ next head coach — do you want offense or defense to be the priority?
If the Ravens hire a defensive-minded head coach, it means they essentially let Jackson, a 2-time NFL MVP, run the offense how he sees fit. Which is a normal thing to let a quarterback of his experience and esteem do at some point in their career. In that scenario, they hire someone like Los Angeles Chargers defensive coordinator and former Ravens assistant Jesse Minter.
Another way of thinking brings the Ravens an offensive mastermind — someone who can help Jackson bring a Super Bowl to Baltimore. Someone like recently fired Miami Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel.
“We have completed an interview with Mike McDaniel for our head coach position,” the Ravens wrote on their official X account on Thursday.
Few people in the NFL know more about how offenses work right now than McDaniel, who is only 42 years old but has already spent 20 seasons as either an NFL offensive assistant, offensive coordinator or head coach.
McDaniel Made Playoffs Twice With Tua as QB
McDaniel getting fired by the Dolphins came as somewhat of a surprise.
While Miami finished 7-10 and missed the playoffs for the second consecutive season, they were playing their best football down the stretch and lost their best player, wide receiver Tyreek Hill, to a gruesome leg injury against the New York Jets in Week 4.
All indications from owner Stephen Ross were that McDaniel was coming back. Until he wasn’t.
One thing that hasn’t been considered is that we may look at McDaniel’s time in Miami much differently once we get some time for it. More specifically, the fact he made the playoffs twice in 4 seasons with quarterback Tua Tagovailoa may have been more of a feat than we originally thought.
If McDaniel doesn’t land one of the 7 remaining head coaching jobs — the Dolphins and Giants are obviously out — then he’ll be a hot commodity as an offensive coordinator.
Ravens Still Pining for Seahawks’ Macdonald
You can find plenty of Ravens fans who think the team fired Harbaugh at least 2 years too late. It’s a group that really wishes they would have done that and promoted former defensive coordinator and current Seattle Seahawks head coach Mike Macdonald.
It’s been painful for Ravens fans to watch Macdonald reach the heights he has in just his second season in Seattle, leadings his team to the No. 1 seed in the NFC Playoffs in 2025.
“One of the biggest what ifs in Ravens history,” Locked on Ravens’ Kevin Oestricher wrote on X. “What if Mike Macdonald never went to the Seahawks?”
Ravens Bring in Recently Fired Mike McDaniel for Head Coach Interview