The Ravens landed what they believe would be the next in a series of mainly excellent defensive coordinators in their 28-year history when they promoted inside linebackers coach Zach Orr yesterday. Orr’s decision to stay in Baltimore, where he has spent nine years as a player and coach, seemed to be a no-brainer, but according to Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2, the team’s new coordinator received another offer: the Packers.
This information is speculative because it comes from an unknown “league source,” yet the timeframe is consistent. The Packers’ hiring of former Boston College head coach Jeff Hafley as their new defensive coordinator came as a surprise, given there were no rumors of an interview prior to his quick appointment. There may be two explanations for this.
The first is that Hafley is a college football coach who must cope with the pressures of the recruiting process. If Hafley is known to be interviewing for NFL jobs, any recruits the Eagles were expecting to sign may reconsider committing to a coach who isn’t personally committed to the school. If news of an interview broke and Hafley returned to Boston College for the 2024 NCAA season, he would undoubtedly face a slew of inquiries about his future plans in Chestnut Hill.
The second reason is his current friendship with Packers head coach Matt LaFleur. According to reports, the two are very good friends. This could imply that, due of their cordial nature, the two had off-the-record chats about the possibility of collaborating. The notion then became that Hafley was available as a second alternative if LaFleur and company were unable to secure their primary option, Orr.
This is where the second half of the timeline comes into play. Hafley was hired on January 31, the same day that Orr interviewed for the defensive coordinator position in Green Bay. In theory, Orr was offered the position on the spot after Green Bay patiently waited for the Ravens to be eliminated from the playoffs. Orr, anticipating a promotion within his current company, would have declined the Packers’ offer, causing LaFleur to contact and hire his good friend later that day.
This theory makes sense given Baltimore’s history of hiring defensive coordinators from within the organization. After signing Marvin Lewis in the Ravens’ first season, Mike Nolan, Rex Ryan, Greg Mattison, Chuck Pagano, Dean Pees, and Don “Wink” Martindale were all elevated from within to defensive coordinator. Mike Macdonald was officially the team’s first external hire for the post, arriving from the University of Michigan, but that’s only if you count the seven years he spent on-staff in Baltimore prior to his one year in Ann Arbor.
Orr had to be confident that either he or Ravens assistant head coach and defensive line coach Anthony Weaver had the best chance of succeeding Macdonald as coordinator. If he was confident in his chances of being promoted, it seems to reason that he would reject down the Packers just to be recruited by the Ravens the next day. In fact, Orr might have accepted the Packers’ offer to leverage a comparable progression in Baltimore and informed Green Bay of his decision later that day.
If this report is accurate, it offers a compelling picture for both sides. In Green Bay, it tells the story of a swing and a miss by one of the league’s rising young coaches. In Baltimore, it demonstrates how desperately the Ravens wanted to keep Orr, who led inside linebackers Roquan Smith and Patrick Queen to first- and second-team All-Pro accolades this season.
The Ravens were well aware that, in addition to losing Macdonald, whichever they did not promote between Orr and Weaver would most certainly leave. Head coach John Harbaugh and his staff believe they are working hard to keep Weaver after passing him over for the coordinator post, but he appears to be bound for advancement elsewhere as the current frontrunner for the Dolphins’ coordinator position. Orr, 31, was chosen for Baltimore, but he was supposedly originally chosen in Green Bay.
