Jesse Minter continues to shape his first coaching staff in Baltimore. On defense, the Ravens have hired Michigan defensive line coach Lou Esposito for the same role, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter. Jeff Zrebiec of The Athletic reported earlier tonight that the two sides were close.
While Esposito doesn’t have any direct ties to Baltimore, there are some indirect connections to the staff and the organization. When Minter joined the Chargers following a two-year stint as Michigan’s defensive coordinator, Esposito caught on with the program as the DL coach. During Esposito’s time at Michigan, he worked under former Ravens DC Wink Martindale, who has spent the past two years in the same role with the Wolverines.
This will represent Esposito’s first NFL gig. He’s had a long career coaching in the college ranks, including multiple stops at Western Michigan. Following a three-year stint as Davenport’s head coach, he spent seven years as the defensive coordinator at Western Michigan. In Baltimore, he’ll be working under long-time defensive line coach Anthony Weaver.
On the other side of the ball, the Ravens have landed on Lamar Jackson‘s new positional coach. Schefter reported yesterday that the Ravens have hired Israel Woolfork as their new QBs coach. Woolfork spent the past three seasons coaching Kyler Murray in Arizona, and he got a career year out of Jacoby Brissett this past season. He was a candidate for the Buccaneers offensive coordinator job earlier this offseason, and the Cardinals blocked him for a handful of interviews. Ultimately, he’ll head to Baltimore to coach a former MVP.
With Woolfork brought aboard, Tee Martin will not be returning to Baltimore for the 2026 campaign, per Jordan Schultz. Martin spent the past three seasons as the Ravens QBs coach, and he spent two years before that coaching Baltimore’s wideouts. The 47-year-old built a strong relationship with Jackson during his tenure with the organization, but Minter and new OC Declan Doyle decided to bring in their own QBs coach.