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The “wide net” that Baltimore Ravens head coach John Harbaugh said the team would be “casting” in their search for their next offensive coordinator following Greg Roman stepping down has now stretched to the most elite of college ranks.
According to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero, they interviewed the University of Georgia offensive coordinator, Todd Monken, for the same position on Saturday, January 28.
With so many NFL teams adopting and integrating college schemes at the level, it makes sense for the Ravens to try to upgrade and evolve their offense with the orchestrator of the prolific unit that just helped the Bulldogs capture their second straight national title earlier this month.
Georgia produced the most lopsided victory in bowl game history with their 65-7 win over Texas Christian University thanks to a dominant defense and an overwhelming offense that moved the ball seemingly at will against the Horned Frogs. Monken’s unit finished No. 2 in the nation in offensive efficiency, according to ESPN’s FPI, for the second year in a row.
Monken Comes With NFL Experience
The soon-to-be 57-year-old on February 5, 2023, has nearly a decade of experience coaching in the NFL with a stint of college in between. He was the wide receivers coach for the Jacksonville Jaguars from 2007-2010 and from 2016-2018, he was the offensive coordinator and wide receivers coach for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He was also the Cleveland Browns’ offensive coordinator for one season in 2019.
In his time as a play caller at the professional level, the Jameis Winston-led Buccaneers offense finished 19th, 11th, and 12th in offensive DVOA and 20th in his lone season with the Browns. In Week 4 of the 2019 season, his unit racked up over 500 yards of total offense and scored 40 points against the Ravens in a lopsided defeat that would wind up being their last of the regular season and spark their amazing 14-2 run to the No.1 seed.
4 Collegiate Bowl Standouts That Fit Ravens
Staying with the college theme, the senior all-star game portion of the pre-draft process is in full swing. The 11th annual NFLPA Collegiate Bowl was played at the Rose Bowl Stadium in southern California on Saturday and there were some aspiring prospects that separated themselves with standout performances that will likely be on the radar of general manager Eric DeCosta and his scouting staff.
RB Titus Swen, Wyoming
The former Cowboy finished as the American team’s leading rusher with a game-high 73 yards on 8 carries that included a pair of rugged 20-plus-yard runs on the game-winning drive and recorded 4 catches for 22 yards. He showed great burst, balance after contact, explosiveness, and toughness and looked like J.K. Dobbins with the way he broke several tackles almost every time he touched the ball, refused to go down, and picked up positive yardage with every touch. With both Justice Hill and Kenyan Drake slated to become unrestricted free agents in March, the Ravens could look to replenish their ranks in the backfield with a hardnosed running back that fits their mold.
DT Scott Matlock, Boise State
The former Bronco aptly nicknamed ‘Big Red’ was one of the brightest standouts in the week of practice and followed it up with an impressive showing in the game itself. For someone who weighs 300 pounds, he was really light on his feet and violent with his hands as he defended the run and rushed the passer with impressive efficiency. He was in on several run stops and notched a sack.
With both Justin Madubuike and Broderick Washington slated to play in the final years of their rookie deals this fall, the team could look to restock with another promising young talent. Washington played in this game in 2020 and went on to get drafted by the Ravens in the fifth round, perhaps history could repeat itself, and the Ravens land a potential difference-maker.
OLB Thomas Rush, Minnesota
The former Golden Gopher had a great game rushing the passer and recorded a game-high 2 sacks. His first came when he kept his rush lane integrity and brought down the quarterback as he climbed the pocket with the intention of escaping on a scramble. His second came when he beat the left tackle around the edge on a play where he showed good bend on a dip-and-rip move.
The Ravens have a trio of stud edge defenders returning in Tyus Bowser, Odafe Oweh, and David Ojabo but veteran Jason Pierre-Paul and Justin Houston who led the team with 9.5 sacks are going to be unrestricted free agents in March. With the team likely to invest more in offense in free agency, they could look to the draft to add another outside linebacker for the third year in a row.
WR Xavier Gipson, Stephen F. Austin
The former Lumberjack only caught one pass but it was an absolute beauty for a long gain. He got behind a national team defender deep down the field on a slot fade where former Penn State quarterback Sean Clifford hit him in stride to flip the field with a 48-yard pickup. The Ravens will likely add a receiver or two both through the draft and free agency this offseason and Gipson has the speed to threaten vertically that the team missed after Rashod Bateman went down for the year.
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