OTL: Ravens Fans Hope Minter Continues to Follow MacDonald Blueprint

It took Mike Macdonald just two seasons in Seattle to hoist the Vince Lombardi trophy, and rather predictably, he did it by way of a stellar defense. That’s not to say the offensive side of the ball wasn’t also incredible along the way. After a strange seven-year start to his career in which many counted Sam Darnold out, he had a career year in Minnesota, then led the Seahawks to the #2 scoring offense in the league, and a Super Bowl.

Kenneth Walker was finally unleashed in the postseason after being caught in a committee with Zach Charbonnet for the bulk of the season. Walker recorded 19 or more carries in all three playoff games, a mark he eclipsed just a single time during the regular season all the way back in Week 4. Jaxon Smith-Njigba was quiet in the Super Bowl after having a career year, in part due to his concussion check, but seasoned veteran Cooper Kupp stepped into a larger role when the Hawks needed to air it out.

Back to Macdonald’s stellar defense, which registered six sacks and recorded three turnovers, one of which led to a defensive touchdown. They just make plays, and someone always shows up. It’s become crystal clear that an above average pass rush is pretty important in making a deep playoff run. That’s the flaw that has continued to haunt the Ravens since Macdonald’s departure. This same Patriots offense that struggled mightily during their postseason run tore up the Ravens D. Drake Maye threw for a season high 380 yards against Baltimore; his next closest mark during the regular season was 294 yards against the atrocious Bengals defense.

The Swiss army knife of the Seattle defense was Nick Emmanwori, the 36th pick of the 2025 Draft. It seemed as if Macdonald tried to copy the Kyle Hamilton blueprint that he drew in Baltimore, and he did so very well. Emmanwori was a threat both in the box, and back in coverage. The Ravens were heavily linked to Emmanwori, but opted to take Georgia safety Malaki Starks instead. Starks still has plenty of time to become a superstar, especially in a new system, but Emmanwori has already become one of the best safeties in the game.

I’m excited to see if Jesse Minter can get the best out of the Ravens defenders as he did in Los Angeles, and as Macdonald has in Seattle. It seems like Baltimore has had a handful of breakout candidates over the past few years, but only a select few have really taken the next steps. Tavius Robinson and Mike Green are two players that come to mind as potential breakout candidates in a Minter system.

Robinson is a very toolsy player. He has great size, and has shown some solid flashes over the last two seasons. With the Ravens desperately needing some pass rush depth, hopefully Minter can unlock some more of Robinson. Green is another name to watch on the edge. He recorded 17 sacks in 2024 at Marshall, and did have a handful of good reps in year one. It’s rare a pass rusher becomes an immediate impact player unless they’re drafted near the top, so fans shouldn’t lose patience in Green so soon. Chargers edge Tui Tuipulotu had 4.5 sacks in his rookie year in 2023, and after Minter’s LA arrival as the defensive coordinator, he had 8.5 in 2024, and 13 this past season.

There are many similarities between Mike Macdonald and Jesse Minter. Both have been understudies to the Harbaugh brothers, and they’ve taken very similar paths. Here’s to hoping that Minter can follow in the footsteps of our still-beloved Mike Mac.

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