The Baltimore Ravens were the team that truly shook up the coaching landscape this offseason with their decision to part ways with long-time head coach John Harbaugh. Don’t weep for either side of this split, however. Harbaugh appears to have already landed on his feet with the New York Giants after a week of courtship. The Ravens? Well, they’re getting their fourth head coach in franchise history and have the chance to embrace something new after all these years.

Team owner Steve Bisciotti hinted at some of what he’s looking for earlier this week when talking to the press. But knowing what the culture is with the Ravens and what some of their objectives are (hello, Lamar Jackson!), which candidates offer the right intersection of fulfilling all the goals at hand? Let’s take a look.

Top-10 Baltimore Ravens head coach candidate hot board

10. Dolphins defensive coordinator Anthony Weaver

I believe Weaver’s best qualities as a coach are rooted in his player relations, his leadership, and his organizational skills. He fits the mold of a CEO-type coach who just so happens to be a former Ravens coach and alumni as a player. The experiences go back to 2002 with this organization, so Weaver’s got an extensive list of experiences to compare to Baltimore. The Dolphins’ defense was stock full of rookies and late additions in 2025 — their metrics and rankings were not great last season but Weaver did well to develop that group and by mid-season they were playing some winning football on that side of the ball.

9. Broncos defensive coordinator Vance Joseph

Joseph leads a stellar unit in Denver — the question is how much the personnel fuels the scheme or vice versa. Joseph has been running defenses in the NFL for the past decade and finally appears to have found the right fit of players to bring his scheme to life. He’s twice had top-10 units in points: the last two years. That’s the risk with Joseph, who was formerly the head coach in Denver for the 2017 and 2018 seasons. What lessons did he learn? How could he apply them moving forward?

8. Browns defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz

I’d consider Schwartz in the same light as Vance Joseph, with the exception being that Schwartz has manufactured top-10 scoring defenses in three different destinations. He’s a little more proven to get top-flight performance out of different groups of players. Schwartz is a decade removed from his head coaching tenure in Detroit and the ship has probably sailed on another chance. But his name coming across the interviews did perk my ears up a bit — he “feels” like a Ravens coach, even if he isn’t one.

7. Rams defensive coordinator Chris Shula

Shula has family ties to Baltimore — his grandfather Don was the head coach of the Baltimore Colts from 1963-1969. Shula is a bright young mind with a strong track record of player development. Just as important, he has ties to Sean McVay and therefore could have a strong lexicon of offensive assistants to bring on staff and boost both sides of the football. A defensive coach with connections to help Lamar Jackson certainly feels like a strong fit; although Shula is still young with just two years of coordinator experience. It’s a bit of a risk.

6. Rams passing game coordinator Nate Scheelhaase

You want risk? You want boosting the outlook for Lamar Jackson? You got it. One of those key assistants that works underneath Sean McVay on offense is passing game coordinator Nate Scheelhaase. One of the hottest young “prodigy” names on the scene this year, he’s just 35 years old and has been under McVay for two seasons. Prior to that, he was Iowa State’s offensive coordinator in 2023. It’s been a rapid ascent for this former college quarterback (Illinois). If you want the home run swing on offense, this may be your guy.

5. Former Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski

With that said, sometimes the juice isn’t worth the squeeze. If you’re worried about a young coach in Scheelhaase and his readiness for an NFL head coaching role, there are accomplished offensive minds elsewhere that may entice with their ability to work with Lamar Jackson. One such candidate is quite familiar, as Kevin Stefanski has lived in the AFC North for the past six years. He knows all about how football in this division is played and would probably enjoy the chance to work with some of what Baltimore’s roster has to offer — especially given that Stefanski’s quarterback situation has been a wasteland the last few years.

4. Seahawks offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak

Klint Kubiak is the hottest of the offensive coordinator names on the market and his play style in Seattle projects well to Baltimore’s personnel. He likes to mash the run, frequents in outside zone and plays with heavy personnel via multiple tight ends often. That’s right up the alley of the personnel fits in Baltimore. Kubiak’s work with Sam Darnold should be an inspiration for teams across the league hoping to tap into another level. If Baltimore wants to go “hot coordinator” and boost the offensive outlook, Kubiak feels like the choice.

3. Chargers defensive coordinator Jesse Minter

Minter isn’t a former head coach elsewhere. But he’s spent time under both of the Harbaughs, including a stint in Baltimore from 2017-2020. If you want someone who has seen how this team runs their business and could put his own unique spin on it, Minter may be the guy. He’s got two strong years of player development under his belt with the Chargers the past two years as well. His ties to Baltimore could also be seen as a bad thing if the Ravens want something different.

One thing we know Ravens ownership is thinking about? Second-chance coaches. That brings us to our top two names on the list.

2. Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores

If you move beyond “offensive gurus” and focus strictly on culture fits, there are three guys who appear to be a cut above the rest. Flores is one. His time in Miami was marred by a number of variables, some outside of his control. The things that tie back to him include a limited pool of offensive assistants to develop that side of the ball and some challenges with personnel control.

Both should not be an issue in his next stop, as he’d be stepping into a well-established hierarchy with Eric DeCosta running the football operation and his time spent in Minnesota the last few years. When Flores arrived in Miami in 2019, his offensive staff pool was limited by being a Patriots lifer and Josh McDaniels’ stranglehold on the OC position there. Having worked with Kevin O’Connell, Flores should have a bigger book of offensive assistants to build out a staff.

1. 49ers defensive coordinator Robert Saleh

Saleh, similarly to Flores, is a defensive coach with a lot of intensity and grit who flopped in his first head coaching gig. Saleh had to deal with one of the worst ownership situations in the league with the Jets and the team picked poorly at quarterback with Zach Wilson. There’s no concerns about either of those things in Baltimore.

Saleh has ties to the Shanahan tree as one of their marquee defensive assistants, which gives him plenty of assistants to tab as an offensive coordinator and get that side of the ball right for Lamar Jackson.

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Kyle Crabbs