On Friday, the Baltimore Ravens made two significant changes in the organization. Friday is the first day of the new Eric DeCosta regime. The longtime assistant to Ozzie Newsome took over as general manager today. His first action was to relieve offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg of his duties. He replaced Mornhinweg with run game specialist, Greg Roman. Roman served as the offensive coordinator for two teams in the NFL, each with a mobile quarterback. The first was the San Francisco 49ers, where he served on the staff of Jim Harbaugh, brother to Ravens head coach John Harbaugh. After Harbaugh left the 49ers, he moved to Buffalo to serve on Rex Ryan’s staff. In San Francisco, he coached quarterback Colin Kaepernick, and in Buffalo, former Ravens backup Tyrod Taylor.
The move should come as no surprise to anyone. The public outcry against Marty Mornhinweg after the Ravens lost to the Los Angeles Chargers was ridiculously loud. The front office and coaching staff seemed to be thinking the same way as the fans and decided that it was best to move on from Mornhinweg. Mornhinweg, a veteran coach in the NFL, previously served as the Ravens quarterbacks coach before taking over as offensive coordinator. Before that job, he served as offensive coordinator of the Jets and Eagles, and as head coach of the Detroit Lions.
Although Baltimore is moving on from Mornhinweg as offensive coordinator, the Ravens did not commit to removing him from the staff. Head coach John Harbaugh would like to keep most of his offensive staff intact going into the offseason. According to Ravens Insider, Jeff Zrebiec of the Athletic, Harbaugh asked Mornhinweg to stay on the staff in some capacity. Mornhinweg will have to make that decision himself, but it is very possible he could remain in Baltimore. His experience with Michael Vick in Philadelphia is very valuable to the Ravens in developing Lamar Jackson. Harbaugh intends to keep the same offensive staff, but he may lose running backs coach, Thomas Hammock. Hammock is reportedly a front-runner in the head coach search at his alma mater, Northern Illinois University. Harbaugh may be forced to find another running backs coach in the near future.
The move is Eric DeCosta’s first personal stamp on the team. His first action as general manager is sure to be followed up with big moves in the offseason and draft. The move to hire Greg Roman as offensive coordinator also dispels any farfetched rumors of a potential trade involving coach Harbaugh. Many speculated for it to be possible that the Ravens would trade Harbaugh to a team like Miami in exchange for draft picks. However, as Harbaugh is now shaping his staff for 2019, the move seems to be out of the picture.
