OTL: Offense, Defense, or CEO?

Well, it has been a chaotic week, hasn’t it, Ravens Flock? For the first time in eighteen years, the Ravens are in the market for a head coach. This is not an article about whether it was the right move to fire Harbaugh or not. If you have followed my reactions, you would now know I thought it was a long-overdue decision. Today is all about trying to figure out who the best candidates are and giving some reactions to the candidates the Ravens are lining up to interview.

Before we begin, it is essential to separate the candidates by their backgrounds and the type of roles they fit.

First up are the offensive-background guys. These candidates are always the hottest names on the market every cycle. It seems like at least two of three of these guys get head gigs every year. From Kyle Shanahan to Sean McVay, more recently Ben Johnson and Liam Coen, this profile has a lot of success in the league right now. In fact, if we look at the head coaches in the playoffs right now, seven of the 14 teams have a former OC at the helm. The numbers speak for themselves; these guys are special, and they don’t usually get to walk into a job with a two-time MVP at quarterback waiting for them.

The next category is the defensive coaches. These are guys who are former defensive coordinators who usually have good track records of having teams that play with an edge. From guys like the Texans’ DeMeco Ryans and, obviously, the Seahawks’ Mike MacDonald, these teams are usually very well coached and are anchored by great defenses. This is important for the Ravens because we need to wash our hands of the stink of two years of Zach Orr.

The other category is one we are all too familiar with: the CEO head coach. These guys may come from a background of one side of the ball or the other, but instead of being X’s and O’x geniuses, are more “leaders of men.” They’re focused on being rah-rah guys who can captivate a locker room and build strong relationships with their coordinators. Think the Steelers’ Mike Tomlin or the Chargers’ Jim Harbaugh: coaches who also tend to foster great cultures.

Each category will have its pros and cons. Offensive geniuses may come across as a bit “nerdy,” and may have trouble being the prototypical strong leader. They can be too caught up in the game planning and not in culture building. Think about guys like Josh McDaniel or Mike McDaniel.

For defensive head coaches, the offense may get the short end of the stick in the team hierarchy and could struggle behind the defense. Rex Ryan’s New York Jets come to mind. Now, when these teams do find success with an offensive coordinator, that guy is typically poached by another team looking for a head coach soon after.

This latter problem extends doubly for the CEO head coaches, who have a constant problem with coordinators being poached by other teams. We know this situation all too well here in Baltimore: choose well and your guys become head coaches elsewhere (Mike Macdonald, Chuck Pagano); choose poorly and watch your unit stagnate (Cam Cameron, Marc Trestman, Marty Mornhinweg, Greg Roman, Dean Pees, Zach Orr).

And now, to the candidates….

As expected, the Ravens have cast a huge net around candidates for the position.

Ravens scorecard
Interviewed: Broncos QB coach/pass game coordinator Davis Webb; Broncos DC Vance Joseph.

Requested: 49ers DC Robert Saleh, Seahawks OC Klint Kubiak, Ex-Commanders OC Kliff Kingsbury, Dolphins DC Anthony Weaver, Chiefs OC Matt Nagy, Vikings DC Brian Flores.

— Jeff Zrebiec (@jeffzrebiec) January 8, 2026

It makes sense to have as many options as possible on the table. If they’d only interviewed the “hot” names in 2008, they never would have landed on John Harbaugh.

We have a lot of names up there, so let’s condense them and talk about my personal favorite from each section: the Offensive, the Defensive, and the CEO.

For the Offensive Guru type, one favorite stands out:

The Ravens requested an interview with Seahawks OC Klint Kubiak for their head coaching job, per source.

That’s five interview requests for Kubiak, who can interview for jobs during Seattle’s playoff bye this week.

— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) January 7, 2026

Klint Kubiak is a hot name in the market right now, and getting him will be a challenge. However, this is where I would go if I were the Ravens. While Todd Monken gave us a couple of great years, we need offensive continuity, and teaming up Kubiak with Lamar Jackson could be a match made in heaven. Look at how Liam Coen has elevated Trevor Lawrence in Jacksonville. We can have that, but better, because Lamar is already worlds better than T-Law. It makes sense to give Lamar the best opportunity available to take his game to the next level. The easiest path towards that is through a young offense-minded head coach, and Kubiak is the best available on the market.

Another thing we have heard some whispers about is that Kubiak isn’t the best communicator or leader of men. I am not sure of that, but let’s remember something: there was a time when Mike MacDonald wasn’t seen as a leader of men, either.

Regarding Klint Kubiak:

There was a lot of noise about how Mike Macdonald “didn’t command a room”

More stuff that’s not on the football field

— Spenny Powers (@ravens4dummies) January 8, 2026

I would ignore that and say that winning would solve those problems. For more on how pairing up Lamar with Klint (or another offensive mind) could pay dividends, check out Dev Panchwagh’s piece here:

All in on Lamar Jackson: Your Move, Mr. Bisciotti

As for a defensive head coach, Jessie Minter from the Chargers would probably be my pick, but he can’t interview yet because of the playoffs. So, for now, we go with a former head coach:

The Ravens requested an interview with Vikings DC Brian Flores for their head coaching job, per source.

— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) January 8, 2026

Going into this process, I wasn’t even sure if Brian Flores would be on their list. He has a ton of baggage with him right now, but let’s focus on the positive. He will get this defense back on track. Flores has run some excellent defenses in Minnesota and elsewhere – defenses with much less capital invested in them than we have here in Baltimore.

On the other hand, he has some explaining to do about his past. You all have probably seen the podcast clip from Ryan Fitzpatrick talking about Flores’s time in Miami, and it isn’t pretty.

Ryan Fitzpatrick has always been extremely candid about Brian Flores

VIDEO

pic.twitter.com/6w7xbhPPya

— Joe Schad (@schadjoe) January 7, 2026

We know he hated Tua, and didn’t want to “tank” for the quarterback. But he also apparently couldn’t connect with people, either, and burned some bridges in Miami. Add that to the lawsuit against the NFL, and maybe you can see why teams haven’t been banging on his door to give him another opportunity.

This is really important because Steve Bisciotti has said one of the things he wants is a coach that can connect to Lamar and form the things we have heard about Flores, yeah, that doesn’t sound like someone they would hire. Now, he has gotten some positive reviews from the Vikings, so it seems like he has changed since then. Maybe not liking Tua or wanting to tank are both sensible positions. This is where the playing field becomes muddy. We, the public have no idea how much Flores has improved since his Miami days, and even the interview process can only reveal so much of that. Only his next head coaching opportunity, should it come, will tell the tale.

So we are just going to have to wait and see.

Again, Flores, like the other defensive candidates, comes with the potential issue of a revolving door at OC. Do the Ravens want to risk that as Lamar enters his 30s?

Now, for the CEO type, one name really stands out: Anthony Weaver. And I just have to say, I don’t know about this one. Weaver played defensive line at Notre Dame and in the NFL, coached defense, and was the Miami DC for the past two seasons. Still, according to The Athletic’s Jeff Zrebiec, the brass at 1 Winning Drive always viewed Weaver as more of a head coach than a DC, which could explain why Orr leapfrogged him for that gig.

I would imagine the bulk of disinterest would be related to Anthony Weaver not being a proven coordinator which seems to be a strong fan desire

He’s very much a leadership guy.

Probably the top candidate from that approach#RavensFlock https://t.co/kdy4DSL9OB

— Cole Jackson (@ColeJacksonFB) January 7, 2026

The consensus seems to be that, despite his background, Weaver is more of a leader-type and CEO Head Coach than a Defensive one. Like a Mike Tomlin perhaps (though Mike was never a coordinator at all).

I personally don’t want another CEO Head Coach. I need the Ravens to pick a lane either on offense or defense, and not go the CEO route again. These types of coaches are becoming less and less common because their staffs get decimated every time they have success. Interestingly, one who has kind of avoided that is Tomlin, and Steelers fans will tell you that his coordinator picks are less than inspired. Another who mainly avoided that fate was John Harbaugh (MacDonald notwithstanding). For years, Ravens fans have griped that Harbs never wanted to bring on coordinators who could potentially take over for him as a head coach.

Alternatively, look at someone like Dan Campbell in Detroit. Last offseason, he saw his OC Ben Johnson poached by the Chicago Bears and his DC Aaron Glenn poached by the New York Jets. After going 15-2 last year, the Lions are sitting at home along with the Ravens this January.

It is hard to do that every couple of offseasons because teams need continuity to have success. How can you maintain that if your staff keeps leaving for greener pastures? Remember, these coaches also just let their coordinators work and don’t get in the way. Amazing for a staff full of great coordinators, but the moment that slips up, and it’s very easy to slip up, it all goes away. I know Weaver is a great guy, and he will probably have a better interview than others, but I’d much prefer the Ravens to stay away from that type of head coach. Why set yourself up to need to deal with so much staff turnover?

To review:

1. Kubiak
2. Flores
3. Weaver

These are my favorite options of each of the categories based on the currently scheduled interviews.

Ideally, the third category (CEO) isn’t under serious consideration.

The post OTL: Offense, Defense, or CEO? appeared first on Russell Street Report.

Source: https://russellstreetreport.com/2026/01/09/out-to-lunch/offense-defense-ceo/