The Baltimore Ravens shocked the NFL world on Friday afternoon as they released a statement saying that they parted ways with defensive coordinator Don Martindale after a 10-year run with the organization.
Martindale regarded as one of the best assistants in the NFL, but Baltimore clearly thinks it’s time for a change. He started with the Ravens as their inside linebackers coach during the 2012 season and was promoted to defensive coordinator in 2018 after the retirement of Dean Pees.
Statement from Head Coach John Harbaugh on Don Martindale. pic.twitter.com/j0zkpgmX1I
— Baltimore Ravens (@Ravens) January 21, 2022
The timing of the move is surprising, as Martindale’s unit went through a crippling amount of injuries over the course of the 2021 season and were able to play much better football over the second half of the year. However, Baltimore had the worst passing defense in the NFL and the defense hasn’t been able to generate many sacks over the last few seasons.
The Ravens usually hire internally for their defensive coordinator job, so they could follow that route once again.
