The Baltimore Ravens made plenty of headlines late on Thursday night when they announced that they are hiring now-former University of Michigan defensive coordinator Mike Macdonald to be their new defensive coordinator. Macdonald had been tabbed as the favorite for the position on Wednesday, and the rumors quickly became true.
Macdonald spent the first seven years of his professional coaching career in Baltimore, working a multitude of roles. He established himself with the Ravens, and was then hired away by Jim Harbaugh and Michigan, where Macdonald had plenty of success. He was a key reason for the university’s turnaround, and earned rave reviews from his fellow coaches, players, and the Michigan media.
In coming back to the Ravens, Macdonald will now take over a defense that has a storied past, but admittedly struggled in many areas over the course of the 2021 season under then-defensive coordinator Don Martindale. Tackling, miscommunications, big plays, finishing, passing defense and more were key points of contention, and while the unit was a top rushing defense, Baltimore and Martindale decided to part ways after four seasons.
Macdonald showed during his one year at Michigan that he can make effective in-game adjustments. One of the things that some didn’t love about Martindale was his “live by the blitz, die by the blitz” mentality, which worked at times but backfired at others.
The new Ravens’ defensive coordinator is just 34 years old, so he brings fresh perspective and an innovative football mind to Baltimore’s defensive unit. While his hiring technically marks the first external defensive coordinator hire in franchise history, the fact that he spent so much time with the Ravens before his one year at Michigan should benefit him in multiple ways.
Macdonald also showed that he can shape a defense and be an effective play-caller using his own strategies. He grew outside of the organization, and now returns as a more polished and experienced coach. While the NFL and college football are two different games, the success that Macdonald had at a very big college program can’t be ignored.
All in all, the hiring of Macdonald is a great one for Baltimore. The Ravens interviewed a plethora of good candidates for their defensive coordinator position, but Macdonald feels like the right choice.
Grade: A