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Every week, Mike Johrendt breaks down one of the new coaching changes from across the NFL, focusing on scheme fit, player usage, and the dynasty fantasy football impact for 2026 and beyond.
After 18 seasons, 12 postseason appearances, and a Super Bowl win, the Baltimore Ravens and John Harbaugh parted ways this offseason, creating the start of a fresh new era. After not being in the head-coaching market for almost two decades, Baltimore decided to bring back an old face, as Los Angeles Chargers defensive coordinator Jesse Minter is now the team’s head coach.
Minter, who held various roles on the Baltimore defensive staff from 2017 to 2020, will be tasked with re-establishing the Ravens’ identity in 2026, as his first head-coaching stint will be in a very familiar environment. While most pieces on both sides of the ball remain in place for this upcoming season, there will still be quite a lot of changes, ones that will undoubtedly impact your dynasty football rosters.
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Baltimore Ravens
2026 Coaching Staff: HC Jesse Minter, OC Declan Doyle, DC Anthony Weaver
Previous Staff: HC John Harbaugh, OC Todd Monken, DC Zach Orr
The Ravens are welcoming a vastly new coaching staff for the 2026 NFL season, as Minter and offensive coordinator Declan Doyle are joined by defensive coordinator Anthony Weaver, who previously held a role on Baltimore’s staff. The fact that the Ravens’ front office preferred to bring in a few familiar faces (instead of going outside the Baltimore family) feels like a safe decision, but one that could backfire if it becomes complacent.
While most eyes have been on Minter’s transition this offseason, the success of Doyle in his first play-calling role will define this new coaching regime. Having been plucked from the Chicago Bears and Ben Johnson’s staff, Doyle was the non-playcaller offensive coordinator there, so this role change is a promotion.
Jesse Minter’s Coaching Background
Minter was originally the defensive coordinator for the Los Angeles Chargers for two seasons, and before that, he led the defense at the University of Michigan. Having that Harbaugh-Michigan-NFL pipeline benefited Minter, as he was able to make the jump to leading a defense at the professional level with relative ease.
The Chargers defense over the past two seasons showed significant growth, regularly producing Pro Bowlers and improving in many major statistical categories. The Chargers finished in the top five for total yards allowed, passing yards allowed per game, receiving yards allowed per game, and total first downs allowed—improvements in all categories from Minter’s first year leading the defense.
Ravens Defensive Scheme
Expect the Ravens to be a heavy zone defense, as that is Minter’s bread and butter. An interesting wrinkle to this, though, is his heavy reliance on not blitzing, as Minter frequently relies on standard three-or-four man fronts to get home. This philosophy will place heavy emphasis on Marlon Humphrey, Kyle Hamilton, and Malachi Starks in the secondary, while Trey Hendrickson, Calais Campbell, and others will have to generate their own pressure without extra help.
For any IDP leagues, Hamilton is still the clear-cut target from this defense, as he is one of the league’s best Swiss army knives. However, a strong rookie campaign should be a sign of things to come for Starks, as he should climb IDP draft boards this offseason. Also, offseason foot surgery for Nate Wiggins should drive his cost down, and after a season of 14 pass defenses and three sacks, he is a buy-low target.
Ravens Offensive Scheme
Declan Doyle will bring a lot of successful elements from Johnson’s offense to the Ravens, as Chicago experienced a bit of an offensive revolution at times in 2025. However, there is no direct 1:1 comparison between the Bears and Ravens in terms of players, so simply adapting Chicago’s scheme to the Baltimore roster isn’t that easy.
Passing Game Impact
The development of the quick passing game will likely be a top focus this offseason for the Ravens, as Doyle and the Chicago offense frequently used screens and short passes to open up downfield shots.
When looking at the top three receivers for the Bears last year in Luther Burden III, D.J. Moore, and Rome Odunze, each WR had vastly different average depth of targets (aDOT).
| Player Name | Average Depth of Target (aDOT) | 2025 Receiving Yards |
|---|---|---|
| Rome Odunze | 13.9 | 661 |
| D.J. Moore | 11.5 | 682 |
| 2025 NFL League Average | 7.8 | – |
| Luther Burden III | 7.7 | 652 |
All of this is to say that Chicago had a deep room of pass catchers that allowed Doyle and Johnson to run a myriad of passing concepts, and some of those wrinkles will be wrapped into the Baltimore offense in 2026. This new scheme will impact Zay Flowers the most, as his aDOT of 10.2 helped him earn a Pro Bowl nod in 2025.
Lamar Jackson will feel the impact of this new scheme as well, as the offense will likely see an influx of pre-snap motion. A lot of window dressing and misdirection was a staple of Chicago’s offense last season, and utilizing either of the rookies (Ja’Kobi Lane or Elijah Sarratt) would be a good way to get more athleticism and speed on the field.
Specifically for Jackson, the increase in quick passes would open up the offense a bit, as the Ravens didn’t utilize a ton of quick-moving passing plays last season. This would also help keep Jackson healthier, as getting the ball out of his hands more quickly would help offset the loss of center Tyler Linderbaum to the Las Vegas Raiders.
Getting more snaps and quicker looks to Flowers, Mark Andrews, and any other weapons would be a welcome addition to the Baltimore offense, as they seemed to lack a bit of consistency and fluidity at times. This will be a big change, which could make the offense a bit clunky to open the year, but Doyle’s new offensive scheme should help raise the dynasty ceilings of Andrews, Flowers, and Jackson.
Running Game Impact
The expected downfall of Derrick Henry keeps getting pushed off, but moving forward with Justice Hill and rookie Adam Randall as reinforcements is a storyline to keep tabs on. With Keaton Mitchell moving on to the Chargers, Hill and Randall will be in charge of spelling Henry, giving them low weekly upside but a high floor if Henry were to miss time.
Of the two, you know what you get with Hill, as he has been the focal pass catcher for Baltimore for the past two seasons. With Randall, the Clemson rookie only played one season at running back after transitioning from wide receiver (unfortunately, he’s not a natural pass catcher). What you don’t expect to see on his film is how physical he is at the point of attack—Randall is a load to bring down. If you are looking to take a flyer at running back, Randall is the upside play here, as he likely will work himself into a role this year.
Derrick Henry is still the ‘King’ of this backfield. Doyle and Johnson utilized a two-back system with D’Andre Swift and Kyle Monangai, as each back averaged over 40 percent of game snaps last year. However, the RB2 role for the Ravens is far less developed when compared to the Bears, so expecting a 40 percent snap share split between Hill and Randall is unlikely.
Shifting to more of a one-back system with Henry is likely what you should expect, unless, of course, Doyle feels that the screen game desperately needs a better pass-catching back than Henry. The development of rookie wideouts will directly impact how the pass-catching backs are involved in this offense, so keep an eye on how training camp looks to see how this part of the offense is trending.
Rookies To Watch
Adam Randall
Converted receivers tend to struggle in picking up the running back position, but Randall looks to be an exception. While not slated for a heavy workload to kick off his NFL career, he has intriguing upside.
- Hill is the only player standing in Randall’s way of the RB2 role, a valuable one that Mitchell grew into last year as he jumped Hill on the depth chart
- Pass catching from the backfield was one of the biggest holes in the 2025 Baltimore offense, and has been an issue for Henry; if Randall can showcase his pass-blocking skills on a consistent basis, you can bet his snap share will continue to cut into Hill’s as the season progresses
- If you have yet to conduct your rookie drafts, Randall is a smart target in the third/fourth rounds, even if you do not roster Henry.
Ja’Kobi Lane
Of the two rookie wideouts drafted in April, Lane is the faster one. Overshadowed by Makai Lemon at USC, Lane has a solid landing spot in an offense that needs to find its WR2 of the future.
- Lane’s 4.47 speed is could help him become the vertical threat in this offense, something that would allow Flowers to operate more in a WR1 capacity
- If Lane becomes the field stretcher that the Ravens need, he could earn a consistent target share.
Matthew Hibner
Both Isaiah Likely and Charlie Kolar departed for greener grass this offseason, leaving a gaping hole on the BAL depth chart behind Andrews. Both Matthew Hibner and Josh Cuevas were drafted in April to add depth, but Hibner should have the inside track to the TE2 role.
- Hibner didn’t have that great of a collegiate career, but Baltimore moved up to draft him, so clearly he is in their long-term plans, and potentially could make an impact this year
- The Bears (360) and Ravens (350) both ranked in the top five last year for most 12 personnel (one running back, two tight ends) plays run, having utilized this formation over 32 percent of their total offensive plays
Biggest 2026 Takeaways
While a lot of eyes were on Minter and his coming-home party as Baltimore’s next head coach, the offense is going to be under a microscope in 2026. In his first year calling plays and not having an offensive-minded head coach to lean on, Doyle is going to put his feet to the fire right away; the veterans on offense will have to come out of the gates fast this season, as Doyle’s play calling will likely experience a few bumps when the season starts.
- Flowers is the most impacted player on the Baltimore offense by the Doyle hire, as he is the most important chess piece that can be used
- Flowers also should be given every opportunity to repeat his WR1 finish, especially with Doyle likely giving him more chances to catch the ball behind the line of scrimmage; a decrease in his aDOT shouldn’t surprise—it is more just a sign of manufacturing touches for the best pass catcher
- The run game for Jackson is the biggest wild card here for the offense, as Williams was not heavily used in RPO plays all that much; if Jackson is trusted to lead a quick-pass offense more than usual, then you can also expect an uptick in run-pass option plays.
- While Andrews clearly profiles as Jackson’s second target, don’t be surprised if one of the rookies (Lane or Sarratt) stands out and earns a shot as the team’s WR3 out of camp; plus, Rashod Bateman will see the field (because of his three-year extension), but his snap share is on very unstable ground as the rookies get more up to speed
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