Baltimore Ravens defensive coordinator Mike Macdonald has been receiving quite a bit of head coaching interest as of late.

The Washington Commanders and the Carolina Panthers each have reportedly requested permission to interview Macdonald for their head coaching openings. The Commanders are on the lookout for a new head coach after they parted ways with Ron Rivera on Monday. The Panthers, on the other hand, fired Frank Reich in November.

Washington and Carolina will not be allowed to conduct an in-person interview with Macdonald until after the divisional round of the playoffs.

Who is Mike Macdonald?

Macdonald has so far spent much of his coaching career with Baltimore. He first joined the Ravens organization in 2014 as a coaching intern. He then went on to serve as a defensive assistant, defensive backs coach, and linebackers coach over the remainder of the decade.

Macdonald had to leave the NFL to receive his first opportunity to be a defensive coordinator, as he agreed to such a role with the Michigan Wolverines in Jan. 2021. He returned to the Ravens a mere one year later to become their new defensive coordinator following Don Martindale's departure.

How the Ravens have blossomed under Macdonald

The Ravens have been quite innovative under Macdonald, who is the go-to play-caller on defense. 

Baltimore boasts one of the more well-rounded front sevens in all of the NFL. The Ravens capped off regular season play by leading the league in sacks (60), even though Macdonald has not been much of an aggressive play-caller. Baltimore ranked outside the top 15 in both blitz percentage (21.9 percent) and pressure percentage (19.5).

Baltimore's pass rushing success can be credited to Macdonald's fondness of simulated pressure. For instance, the Ravens could show on pre-snap that a total of seven players may blitz the quarterback, only for four of them to end up dropping back in coverage.

Macdonald has also provided middle linebackers Roquan Smith and Patrick Queen with much more freedom on the field. The two have been do-it-all defensive players for Baltimore, from dropping back in coverage to regularly pressuring the quarterback.

The Ravens under their previous defensive coordinator in Don Martindale were known for rolling out a mix of man coverage and Cover 0. Under Macdonald, Baltimore has been more versatile with its coverages, as Marlon Humphrey would explain it.

"It's definitely a little different," Humphrey said on his "Punch Line with Marlon Humphrey" podcast. "I mean, we used to basically live in man coverage. Now, we just change up a lot more, there's a lot, I would say a lot like less air, it's probably the best way to say. I say there's just a lot less air in between just different things as far as matches and coverages."

Baltimore’s secondary continues to enjoy plenty of success under Macdonald. Overall, the reigning AFC North champions topped the league in passer rating allowed (74.6) this season.

Can Macdonald lead a franchise?

It has come as no surprise to the Ravens players on the defensive side of the ball that Macdonald has been garnering interest for a head coaching gig. As Jadeveon Clowney noted last month, the defensive-minded coach is one who strives to get the best out of his players, which is one key characteristic of a successful head coach in the NFL.

"Mike [Macdonald] puts us in great positions to make plays,” Clowney said. “The guy knows what he's doing out there lining us up. So, when you have a coach like that, when quarterbacks pump the ball, it gives us an extra time to get there. We're making plays up front.”

Macdonald is also one who seeks to simply listen to his players, which, as Kyle Hamilton recently put it, is a "great quality to have."

"So, he's got a great plan in place every week, and he's open to criticism, for sure, from us, when we're being a little sensitive and bratty about stuff," Hamilton said last month. "But he hears us when we're talking to him, and I think that's a great quality to have."

Macdonald sure has already proved that he deserves to soon become a head coach. 

Ravens QB Lamar Jackson receives legendary praise from Tom Brady

Quite the take.