The Baltimore Ravens entered this year’s NFL Playoffs as the odds-on favorites to come out of the AFC. They won an NFL-best 13 regular-season games and looked to be complete juggernauts.
That all came crashing down in the AFC Championship Game against the Kansas City Chiefs. John Harbaugh and Co. lost by the score of 17-10, ending their season in premature fashion.
It has not been much better for the Ravens in the days since that ugly home loss. Earlier on Wednesday, Baltimore defensive coordinator Mike Macdonald was hired to be the next Seattle Seahawks’ head coach.
The Ravens have now lost yet another key assistant coach on that side of the ball. According to Jordan Schultz of Bleacher Report, defensive backs coach Dennard Wilson has been hired by the Tennessee Titans to be their defensive coordinator under new head coach Brian Callahan.
Wilson, 41, is seen as an up-and-comer in the NFL coaching ranks. In fact, he would have likely been a top candidate to replace Macdonald with the Ravens.
Prior to joining Baltimore this past season, he served as the passing-game coordinator and defensive backs coach with the Philadelphia Eagles over the past two years. A former player at Maryland, Wilson’s NFL coaching career started with the then-St. Louis Rams back in 2012.
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Baltimore Ravens have major holes to fill after Dennard Wilson news
In addition to losing these two key coaches, Baltimore saw respected personnel man Joe Hortiz leave to take the Los Angeles Chargers’ general manager job.
The expectation here is that Harbaugh and Co. will at least look outside of the organization to replace Macdonald at defensive coordinator now that Wilson is headed to Nashville.
There is also a chance that current defensive line coach Anthony Weaver could land the job. He was a finalist for the Atlanta Falcons’ head coach position and is currently in the running for the Washington Commanders’ opening. If he does land the job in Washington, that opens up an entirely new can of worms for Baltimore.
None of this is necessarily bad. Teams poaching assistants for promotions is a sign that your organization is respected around the league. Then again, the Ravens now have a lot of work to do on several fronts after a premature end to their season.