Lamar Jackson Reportedly Favors Kliff Kingsbury to Lead Ravens Offense
Owner Steve Bisciotti said at his press conference last week that Lamar Jackson will have "a lot of say" in the Ravens' selection of a new head coach. Jackson reportedly has a candidate he would at least like for offensive coordinator.
"I know for a fact that Lamar Jackson and those receivers would like Kliff Kingsbury to run their offense," The Athletic's Dianna Russini said on âThe Herd With Colin Cowherd.â "They've shown support. They've been vocal about it. They've been part of some of these interviews. Lamar Jackson is part of these. He's Zooming in, he's in touch with the decision-makers of what he likes, who he's liked."
Kingsbury, who was the Arizona Cardinals' head coach from 2019-2022 and the Washington Commanders' offensive coordinator the past two seasons, interviewed with the Ravens early last week. ESPN's Peter Schrager reported that Kingsbury's interview was for both the head coach and offensive coordinator jobs.
Russini noted that if the Ravens hire Anthony Weaver as head coach, Kingsbury would likely be his offensive coordinator. Weaver was the first reported candidate to get a second interview in Baltimore.
"Anthony Weaver is going to be in the running for this job, and from what I understand, Kliff Kingsbury is going to be his OC," Russini said. "I think that would be a pretty tremendous fit when you think about what Kliff Kingsbury did with [Cardinals quarterback] Kyler Murray. Now insert Lamar Jackson, one of the best quarterbacks in football."
In other news regarding Kingsbury, ESPN's Jeremy Fowler reported that he could be brought in as offensive coordinator if Broncos Offensive Pass Game Coordinator Davis Webb gets a head coaching job.
The Ravens interviewed Webb on Jan. 8 and must wait until after Denver hosts the Patriots in the AFC Championship game on Sunday to speak with him again.
Joe Flacco Discusses His Future, Possibility of Playing for Steelers, John Harbaugh's Departure
The Pittsburgh Steelers are the only AFC North team Joe Flacco hasn't played for. Would the veteran quarterback consider joining the Ravens' archrival?
Flacco, who is a free agent, said on the âBMore Football Podcastâ that "it would feel strange" to wear a Steelers jersey, but he didn't rule it out.
"There's something about the Steelers that seems a little bit different just because they were our rival for so many years," Flacco said, "but at the end of the day, I play football because I love it. It is a job of mine. If somebody is hiring me, I think that is a pretty big deal.
"You can't necessarily let your personal feelings on an organization just from an outsider get in the way of a professional decision."
Flacco, who turned 41 last week, hopes to be playing somewhere next season, which would be his 19th in the NFL.
"You do think about one day being done, but at the same time, year to year, you don't really think about that," Flacco said. "You're just like, 'Oh, offseason. Time to work out and get ready for the next season.' And I think that for the most part, my head is still in that space."
Flacco also shared his feelings about the Ravens parting ways with John Harbaugh. Flacco was the Ravens' first-round pick in 2008, the same year Harbaugh was hired as head coach. They spent 11 seasons and won Super Bowl XLVII together.
"I think when you're around this league as long as everybody here has been, I don't know if you're shocked by anything, but I was definitely surprised," Flacco said. "I think the Giants are getting one hell of a coach."
Nickel Cornerbacks Have Never Been More Important, and Kyle Hamilton Sets the Standard
The Athleticâs Ted Nguyen contends that the secret to having a great defense is having a premium nickel cornerback, and he believes Kyle Hamilton is the standard-bearer.
"Obviously, with the rise of pass-heavy offenses and three-receiver personnel, a third corner who can cover slot receivers is important, but with how good modern offenses are at creatively using their personnel, the demands of a nickel are as high as ever," Nguyen wrote. "Eagles Defensive Coordinator Vic Fangio and Seahawks Head Coach Mike Macdonald run a system that's become the trendiest in the league. A core tenet of that system is being able to defend the run from light boxes and sub personnel (five or more defensive backs). To do that, the nickel has to be a third linebacker at times.
"Hamilton has the rare ability to play on the line of scrimmage, so he doesn't just play off-ball linebacker; at times, he can line up on the line of scrimmage and play the edge, which allows the Ravens to stay in their odd fronts with their sub personnel."
Los Angeles Chargers Defensive Coordinator Jesse Minter, who had an in-person interview for the Ravens' head coach job on Wednesday, runs a system derived from Macdonald's and how he deployed Hamilton.
"When I came [to the Chargers], I really spent a ton of time in meetings watching the 2023 Ravens film," Minter said. "Because meeting Derwin [James] and watching his film, I thought he can just get pulled away from the game too much at (free) safety, honestly. And he's impactful when he's close to the ball and things like that. So really, we just studied what Mike Macdonald did with Kyle."
Hamilton Cracks Top 15 in ESPN's MVP Rankings
The winner of the NFL MVP award is determined by 50 voters who rank their top five candidates. ESPNâs Seth Walder has gone to the extreme of ranking the top 100 candidates for the 2025 award.
Hamilton came in at No. 14.
"Perhaps no number tells the story of Hamilton's impact this season more than the Ravens' defensive performance on the 128 snaps without him on the field," Walder wrote. "On those plays, Baltimore allowed a massive 0.27 EPA per play, which would be by far the worst of any defense in the league. With him on the field, the Ravens' defense was average. Granted, on-off splits in football can be awfully noisy, but it matches the consensus view of Hamilton -- that he's indispensable to Baltimore's defense. And he's incredibly versatile.
"The Ravens traded for safety Alohi Gilman ahead of Week 6, which wildly changed Hamilton's role. Prior to the trade, Hamilton played safety 72% of the time, but from Week 6 on that number dropped to 4% (!), with him aligning everywhere from slot defender to linebacker to on the line of scrimmage. And the Ravens' defense got much better after Hamilton did that, too."
The other Ravens players to make the rankings were Jackson (No. 49) and wide receiver Zay Flowers (No. 67). New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye took the top spot.
