Ravens Lose Offensive Coach to NCAA Coaching Opportunity

Getty Former Baltimore Ravens coach Bobby Engram evades a tackler during Super Bowl XL in 2006.

Baltimore Ravens assistant coach Bobby Engram has accepted a new position with the Wisconsin Badgers football team as their new offensive coordinator under head coach Paul Chryst, according to Jeff Potrykus of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

Bruce Feldman of Fox Sports confirmed on January 29 that Engram would be leaving Baltimore to take the top offensive coaching position with the Badgers. The move is the latest coaching change in Baltimore after the Ravens hired Michigan Wolverines defensive coordinator Mike Macdonald to replace Don “Wink” Martindale on January 27. Ex-Ravens head coach Brian Billick also recently accepted a college coaching position with the Arizona State Sun Devils.

The 49-year-old began his NFL career as a wide receiver with the Chicago Bears, who drafted him in the second round of the 1996 NFL Draft out of Penn State.

Engram nearly reached 1,000 receiving yards in a season in both 1998 and 1999, but only played three games during the 2000 season due to injury. He then was signed by the Seattle Seahawks, where he played for the next eight years. Engram caught six passes for 70 yards in Seattle’s 2005 Super Bowl XL loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers and set a franchise record with 94 receptions in 2007 to go along with the first 1,000-yard season of his career. He was ultimately named to the Seahawks’ 35th Anniversary team in 2011, per team reporter Clare Farnsworth. 

After brief stints with the Kansas City Chiefs and the Cleveland Browns, Engram retired from playing and began his coaching career starting as an offensive assistant for the San Francisco 49ers before coaching wide receivers at the University of Pittsburgh under Chryst.

The Ravens then hired Engram in 2014 as their wide receivers coach, a position that he held for five years before becoming the team’s tight ends coach in 2019, per the Ravens’ Ryan Mink.

Mark Andrews has developed into one of the NFL’s best tight ends under Engram’s tutelage, finishing the 2019 season with the second-most receiving touchdowns in the league on his way to his first Pro Bowl selection. Andrews took his play to new heights in 2021, earning both Pro Bowl and first-team All-Pro honors after leading all NFL tight ends in catches, yards and touchdowns.

Engram Could Attract Major Transfer

Not only will Engram have the opportunity to lead a Big 10 offense at Wisconsin, he’ll also be able to coach his son, Dean, who is entering his third year as a Badger.

Dean Engram has played cornerback and returned kicks in his 17 appearances over the last two seasons, but his high school career could be even more important to the Badgers this season.

While at Gonzaga High School in Washington, D.C., Engram caught passes from star Oklahoma Sooners quarterback Caleb Williams, who entered the transfer portal after the end of the 2021 NCAA season.

The Badgers are currently attempting to lure Williams to Wisconsin, and 247 Sports’ Chris Hummer thinks that Bobby Engram’s hiring could play a role in their efforts.

“Engram is a key piece of Wisconsin’s push for Caleb Williams. His NFL background is a plus. But perhaps just as important Engram’s son, Badgers CB Dean Engram, played with Williams at Gonzaga HS. Lot of familiarity there,” wrote Hummer on January 29.

Fans Want Different Offensive Coach Gone

Some Ravens fans will be disappointed to read that Engram, not offensive coordinator Greg Roman, is leaving the Ravens.

Calls for Roman to be fired intensified throughout a disappointing 2021 season for the Ravens, especially on offense, though it’s worth noting that Roman lost his MVP quarterback, Lamar Jackson, to injury for six of Baltimore’s last nine games.

Still, some are hoping that head coach John Harbaugh will announce Roman’s departure during his end of season press conference on January 31, though Roman is expected to keep his job for the 2022 season.