The Ravens have made a pair of additions to the defensive coaching staff.
Head Coach John Harbaugh hired Leslie Frazier as the secondary coach and Joe Cullen as a defensive line coach.
Both coaches join the Ravens after spending the last two seasons in Tampa Bay on Lovie Smith’s staff. The Buccaneers fired Smith last week, which made Frazier and Cullen available.
In addition to hiring Frazier and Cullen, the Ravens have also named Scott Cohen a coaching assistant/opponent analysis. Cohen was a coaching staff consultant last season.
“We were excited when coaches Frazier and Cullen became available in the last few days, and we are pleased to keep Scott, who was being pursued by other teams,” Harbaugh said.
Frazier, 56, is a marquee hire for the Ravens. He’s a veteran NFL coach who also spent three seasons as the head coach of the Minnesota Vikings.
Frazier was the defensive coordinator in Tampa the last two years. His defense ranked 10th in the NFL last season, giving up an average of 340.4 yards per game. Frazier, a former NFL cornerback, has also been a defensive coordinator for the Vikings and Cincinnati Bengals.
The relationship between Harbaugh and Frazier dates back to when they were assistants on Andy Reid’s staff in Philadelphia from 1999-2002.
Adding Frazier now gives the Ravens three former head coaches on Harbaugh’s staff. Offensive Coordinator Marc Trestman (Chicago) and Quarterbacks Coach Marty Mornhinweg (Detroit) are the others.
Cullen will work as a defensive line coach in Baltimore, which was the same role he held with the Bucs.
He has a strong reputation for his work with defensive fronts around the league, and he has experience at the professional and college levels. Cullen also worked for the Cleveland Browns, Jacksonville Jaguars and Detroit Lions, and was the defensive line coach at all of those stops.
The Ravens brought in Cullen because Clarence Brooks, who has been the Ravens defensive line coach since 2005, is continuing his battle with esophageal cancer. Brooks has become the senior defensive assistant. He is a beloved coach by the players, and he’s the longest-tenured coach with the Ravens (11 years).
With the addition of Frazier to the staff, last year’s Defensive Backs Coach Chris Hewitt will continue to work in the secondary. Cornerbacks Coach Matt Weiss will transition to working with the linebackers along with Inside Linebackers Coach Don Martindale. Linebackers Coach Ted Monachino left last week to become the defensive coordinator of the Colts.
