Entering the Minter Era: Time to Prove People Right

When new Ravens head coach Jesse Minter took the podium nearly two weeks ago to make his first address to the media, he talked about handling rejection in the past. He used to have a chip on his shoulder when colleges rejected him for his first coaching job. Not anymore.

“My mindset has shifted a bit in the last five or six years, away from proving people wrong, and more to proving people right,” Minter said. “I’ve become more of an optimist, positive thinker.”

Inheriting a Ravens roster that was 2025 preseason favorites to win the Super Bowl, but which instead fell to 8-9, is all about proving people right — only a year after the fact. Minter knows all too well what he’s stepping into. His job will be to right the ship. Expectations are at their highest, especially on the heels of owner Steve Bisciotti saying he wants to win Super Bowls, plural.

Proving people right about the defensive players drafted by general manager Eric DeCosta over the last couple of seasons would be a good start. Bisciotti specifically pointed to the previous coaching staff’s failure to develop draft picks they counted on. Getting the most out of the talent in Los Angeles is a major reason why the former Raven assistant was the most sought-after head coaching candidate on the market. He’ll be expected to do the same in Baltimore.

With the Chargers, Minter was able to elevate the young defensive talent to play their best football under his guidance. For example, Tuli Tuipulotu, a 2023 second-round pick, earned a Pro Bowl berth this season after a 13-sack breakout performance. He built on a successful 2024 campaign when he register 8.5 sacks.

Taheeb Still and Cam Hart — two 2024 fifth-round corners — turned into starters as part of the nickel rotation.

And when it came to veteran players from other teams like Teair Tart and former Raven Odafe Oweh, they also had their biggest successes under Minter and the Chargers’ scheme. Tart was especially impressive as a first-time starter this past season after being a rotation player his entire career.

Nate’s correct. NFL coaches are going to attack the most static and predictable parts of your gameplan. That’s going to be pass protection on offense and how you handle certain checks against unique looks on defense. https://t.co/XVmX09QUeY

— Bill Barnwell (@billbarnwell) February 11, 2026

Outside of Khalil Mack and Derwin James, there were no big-money playmakers on the Chargers’ roster this past season. In fact, LA was 31st in defensive spending, yet ranked fifth overall, ninth in points, fourth in red zone, fifth in third down and ninth in takeaways. The year prior, the Chargers had the top-ranked defense in the league.

What does that mean for the roster Minter is taking over in Baltimore, and which players stand to benefit the most? Here’s an early assessment:

Nate Wiggins

Of all the players who I can see ascending to stratospheric levels, it’s the third-year cornerback from Clemson.

Nate Wiggins has been very good in his first two seasons. At times last season, he seemed on the verge of breaking out as a premier, lockdown cornerback. While he made plenty of plays, he also had his share of struggles, particularly against the Bears and the Packers.

What you love about Wiggins is his confidence and that he possesses the short memory all corners need. Losing one-on-one downfield doesn’t faze him; he’s ready to face the challenge again on the next snap. He’s certainly born to play the position.

Between playing with precise technique in off-ball situations, timing his break on the ball, and the electric 4.2 speed to recover from a misstep, Wiggins has the goods. But he was out of sorts playing so far off the line, which former defensive coordinator Zach Orr had him do too often.

Given Minter’s specialty coaching defensive backs and the addition of DB coaching savant Mike Mickens from Notre Dame, Wiggins will immediately get the best coaching he’s had in his NFL career. They’ll get him to marry talent, technique and scheme to turn into one of the best corners in the game.

Malaki Starks

By most measures, Malaki Starks had a solid rookie debut. But as the first safety taken in the 2025 NFL draft, expectations were probably already unfair. It doesn’t help that fellow rookie Nick Emmanwori was front and center making game-changing plays throughout Seattle’s run to the title.

The reality is that Starks did what was asked of him. He was responsible for defending the deep ball as a true free safety in the team’s two-high looks. Occasionally, Starks would creep up or disguise his role as a downhill defender. But that wasn’t how Orr consistently used him. Moreover, Starks didn’t take many chances in order to protect the back-end integrity.

Coming from Georgia, Starks was billed as a playmaker, and he played all over the field — split safety, deep third, slot. He also played 215 box snaps in his final season.

Granted, this is essentially the Kyle Hamilton role now. But it’s a good bet that Starks is more involved in the action, playing closer to the box and moving more pre- and post-snap compared to the static approach he took in 2025. Starks and Hamilton may take turns in the chameleon role to confuse offenses pre-snap, especially if the team can add another coverage safety to reduce some of Stark’s deep coverage responsibilities.

Unlocking Starks’ full capabilities on the back end is probably one of the first directives DeCosta has for Minter.

Mike Green

The second directive must be how to unlock Mike Green, the team’s 2025 second-round pick. Coming out of Marshall, Green was regarded as the best pass-rushing prospect not named Abdul Carter in the entire class.

The flashes were certainly on display. Against Chicago, Green ruined the Bears’ chances to convert inside the red zone with a third-down sack on the first drive of the game, a play on which he used a wicked jump step and hand swipe to beat the left tackle.

His best game came against the New York Jets, when he notched a sack and five pressures.

However, his pass rush moves didn’t work every week. There were other times the rookie edge rusher seemed lost when he couldn’t disengage to break free from first contact.

A key challenge Green faced was load management. Frankly, there wasn’t much management to speak of. Green played more snaps than anticipated to make up for depth issues all season. In an ideal world, he would have been phased in as a pass-rush specialist on defined passing downs. One could argue that Green was overtaxed, playing early downs and on third downs too. The cumulative effect could have contributed to those inconsistencies to win in pure rush snaps.

Beyond the rush game, Green did show the willingness and violent disposition to set the edge against the run. Although not exactly a plus run defender, he displayed the traits to be more than a one-dimensional edge in college and did the same in his rookie campaign.

Minter and the defensive staff have plenty to work from a talent standpoint. Moreover, Green was also lauded by the coaches for his work ethic and attitude all year.

It’ll be interesting to see what Minter does schematically to unleash Green’s abilities even more. Will he rush from multiple spots to gain mismatch opportunities? Can he develop counter rush moves to win more often in one-one-one situations? Minter’s simulated pressures and use of stunts could weaponize Green more as a free rusher and exploit one-on-one advantages.

An ideal scenario for Green would be to follow Minter’s blueprint for developing and expanding Tuipulotu’s rush productivity. But there’s room for even higher heights, given Green’s raw physical skills.

The Others

Trenton Simpson

Given the uncertain recovery timetable for fellow inside linebacker Teddye Buchanan, Trenton Simpson will likely continue as the starting backer next to Roquan Smith. Simpson has steadily improved, looking surer about his decisions on the field. Against the Steelers in the season finale, Simpson made a massive play in the open field, tackling Kenneth Gainwell to take away a sure third-down conversion. Given his speed, explosiveness and change-of-direction, the upside is still there for him to put it all together in the last year of his rookie deal.

Tavius Robinson

Robinson seems like an easy bet to keep stacking as an impact defender on the front line. He was well on his way before breaking his ankle early in the season. When he went out, the team’s edge went with him. When he returned, Robinson supplied the run defense, toughness, motor and versatility the team sorely needed. Robinson could be a weapon for Minter as a pick player on stunts and loops, with the ability to line up inside, while remaining an enforcer against the run.

Keyon Martin

The undrafted rookie made some plays when his name was called, especially when the depth was ravaged midway through the season. Martin especially stood out against Cleveland, filling in for Marlon Humphrey in the slot. His timing as a blitzer was especially impressive, and he recorded his first and only sack of the season. In Minter’s defense, the slot plays a vital role to dial up those pressures and handle various pre-snap disguise and post-snap coverage responsibilities. Martin could draw more attention from the new staff.

Aeneas Peebles

When Peebles dropped to the Ravens in the sixth round, a lot of pundits thought it was one of the steals of the draft. As a three-technique at Virginia Tech, Peebles wreaked havoc in the backfield, registering 6.5 sacks. His quick first step, array of moves and ability to split gaps was often too much for blockers to handle. But as a rookie in the NFL, Peebles barely saw the field because he was a liability against the run. That should change under the new staff given that Peebles has undeniable juice as an interior rusher, which the defense badly needs given the loss of Nnamdi Madubuike (his recent posts on X aside, we’ll assume for our purposes that he won’t be returning to action).

The talent cupboard is hardly bare in Baltimore. Even with the defensive personnel deficiencies that still need attention, particularly on the front line, Minter has pieces with which to work.

The best defensive coaches can level up their talent by devising scheme, assignment and mismatch opportunities to exploit offenses. They understand how to maximize their players’ strengths. Frankly, with Orr as the DC, it was more leveling down and playing some of his top players out of their natural positions.

Bill Belichick defenses always had the hallmark of extracting the most from his individual players by putting them in the best spots to flourish and carry out their assignments with confidence. We’ve seen the same from former Baltimore defensive coordinator Mike Macdonald in Seattle.

Given Minter’s track record, expect the Baltimore defense to return to form and for the younger players to start proving people right.

The post Entering the Minter Era: Time to Prove People Right appeared first on Russell Street Report.

Source: https://russellstreetreport.com/2026/02/11/street-talk/minter-prove-right/