Following a 13-win 2023 season with a historic defensive unit, the Baltimore Ravens have seen an efflux of coaching talent on defense early this offseason.
One notable loss was Anthony Weaver, who accepted the Miami Dolphins’ defensive coordinator position last week. That left the Ravens with a vacancy to fill for the team’s new defensive line coach.
According to NFL on CBS’ Jonathan Jones on Wednesday, the Ravens are hiring Baylor’s Dennis Johnson to fill this role.
The Baltimore Ravens are hiring Dennis Johnson as their defensive line coach, source says. Johnson was most recently the DL coach at Baylor University. Big role filled for the Ravens.
— Jonathan Jones (@jjones9) February 21, 2024
Johnson has been the defensive line coach at the University of Baylor since 2020. He previously held the same role at LSU, his alma mater, where he also coached outside linebackers. Johnson had coaching stints at Kentucky and Northwestern State before that as well.
This will be Johnson’s first coaching job at the NFL level. He’s just 35 years old and graduated from LSU in 2012. In 2021, Johnson helped coach a Baylor defense that ranked Top-20 nationally in rushing defense, points allowed, and sacks per game.
John Harbaugh has hired coaches from the college level in the past with successes, most recently Mike Macdonald (Michigan) and Todd Monken (Georgia).
Johnson does not have small shoes to fill in Weaver, who is highly-touted as a potential future head coach. He’ll take over a defensive line room set to return most if it’s core from last season, with pending free agent Justin Madubuike’s status looming.