The Ravens announced the departure of Don “Wink” Martindale as their defensive coordinator Friday night, but they had already contacted defensive line coach Anthony Weaver and secondary coach Chris Hewitt about taking over the job, according to a team source with direct knowledge of the situation.
The source also said that coach John Harbaugh will look outside the organization for possible candidates, but the process will become more intense heading into next week.
When the Ravens lost six straight games at the end of the season to fall out of playoff contention, some changes were expected. But more fans wanted offensive coordinator Greg Roman to be fired instead of Martindale. According to the team source, Harbaugh and Martindale met several times before parting ways, and issues such as the length of Martindale’s contract and personality conflicts between the coaches might have been factors in the move.
Martindale’s contract expired at the end of the 2022 season and he might have wanted more security. Now he’ll be able to test the free-agent market with eight head coaching positions available. According to a league source, Martindale will definitely earn another opportunity as a coordinator in the NFL.
The team source said Martindale, 58, and Harbaugh had some strong disagreements throughout the season, more than in years past. In interviews, Martindale was blunt and outspoken compared with the conservative Harbaugh, who probably didn’t like Martindale’s verbal shots at the Cincinnati Bengals, quarterback Joe Burrow and coach Zac Taylor’s offense during the past two seasons.
The Bengals took offense, beating the Ravens, 41-21, on Dec. 26 as Burrow completed 37 of 46 passes for 525 yards. There was little doubt that Cincinnati intentionally ran up the score. The relationship between Harbaugh and Martindale was reminiscent of Harbaugh’s interactions with former Ravens defensive coordinator Rex Ryan before the cocky Ryan left to become head coach of the New York Jets in 2009.
Overall, a change was probably needed. In three of four seasons with Martindale as defensive coordinator, the Ravens finished first, fourth and seventh in total defense. But the Ravens were injury plagued in 2021, losing Pro Bowl cornerback Marcus Peters and starting defensive end Derek Wolfe for the season in training camp and then safety DeShon Elliott and cornerback Marlon Humphrey for extensive time later in the year.
This season, the Ravens’ defense finished 25th overall while ranking last against the pass, allowing 278.9 passing yards per game. There were two major problems that Martindale failed to correct during his tenure.
First, the Ravens never developed a top pass rusher, even though outside linebackers Za’Darius Smith and Matthew Judon and defensive end Yannick Ngakoue had success after they left Baltimore.
Secondly, their pass coverage seemed to be in disarray, even when their stars were on the field. It’s one thing to get beat physically, but it’s hard to accept the mental mistakes when players are totally out of position. Even in good years, the secondary struggled for extended periods of time.
Weaver, 41, joined the Ravens as defensive line coach this season after serving one season as the defensive coordinator of the Houston Texans, who had one of the best run defenses in the NFL under his watch. He developed close relationships with his players in Baltimore and came up with some creative techniques as the Ravens again had one of the best run defenses in the NFL. As a defensive end, Weaver played for the Ravens from 2002 to 2005.
Hewitt, 47, has 13 years of coaching experience and has been in charge of the secondary for seven years. Throughout the team’s history, the Ravens have hired several coordinators from within the organization, including Rex Ryan, Greg Mattison, Chuck Pagano, Dean Pees and Martindale.
The Ravens might also look at Joe Cullen, their former defensive line coach who served as the Jacksonville Jaguars’ defensive coordinator in 2021. Mike Macdonald, their former linebackers coach, had a strong season as Michigan’s defensive coordinator. But the Ravens won’t get serious about Macdonald unless Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh leaves for a job in the NFL. As of late Friday night, the Ravens had not contacted Cullen, according to a league source.
Regardless, coaching this defense won’t be easy. First of all, Peters, Humphrey and Elliot have to show they can bounce back from injuries. The Ravens need an infusion of young talent on their defensive line and have to find some linebackers after disappointing seasons from second-year players Patrick Queen and Malik Harrison.
Rebuilding this defense is going to take some time, and that wasn’t on Martindale’s side. His contract was set to expire at the end of next season.
Maybe free agency didn’t look so bad.
