Anthony Weaver, a finalist for the Baltimore Ravens’ head-coaching job that went to Jesse Minter, will be returning to the organization after all.
Weaver, who spent four years with the Ravens as a player and three more as a defensive assistant, will be the defensive coordinator under Minter, a team source confirmed. It’s a non-play-calling role, as Minter has said he’ll call the defense.
Still, getting Weaver, who team officials have long admired for his leadership skills and work with defensive linemen, is a coup for the Ravens. He’s been a popular head-coaching candidate in the past two cycles and interviewed for at least five vacancies this offseason, getting a second interview from multiple teams.
Weaver, 45, spent the last two seasons as the Dolphins’ defensive coordinator, but his days in Miami were numbered when the Dolphins fired Mike McDaniel and replaced him with former Green Bay Packers defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley. He was released from his Dolphins contract on Monday, allowing him to return to Baltimore
Weaver’s defense in Miami produced uneven results. In his first year in 2024, the Dolphins finished in the top 10 in yards and points allowed. But this past season was a struggle, and the unit regressed amid a mostly trying year in Miami.
With the Ravens, he was hired by John Harbaugh as the defensive line coach and run game coordinator in 2021, and he added assistant head coach to his duties in 2022 and 2023. Weaver was widely believed to be the top candidate to be Harbaugh’s defensive coordinator with the New York Giants, but the head coach opted for another former Baltimore assistant, Dennard Wilson, instead. That left Weaver without an obvious defensive play-calling fit during a wild coaching carousel.
Minter, who served as a Ravens defensive assistant from 2017 to 2020, has never worked directly with Weaver.
However, Weaver has many connections inside the Ravens’ facility and is extremely well-liked and respected by players and members of the team’s front office. When the team fired Harbaugh on Jan. 6 after 18 years as head coach, Minter and Weaver were immediately considered two of the front-runners for the job.
Now, Weaver becomes an important hire for Minter, who will need him to lead defensive meetings, help with the game plan and scouting, and work with the team’s defensive linemen. That’s a key position for the Ravens, who figure to bulk up along their defensive front after they didn’t get enough production from that group following Nnamdi Madubuike’s season-ending neck injury in Week 2.
Minter can also continue to assemble his coaching staff. He’s checked off four big boxes with the hiring of Weaver, offensive coordinator Declan Doyle (Chicago Bears), offensive line coach Dwayne Ledford (Atlanta Falcons) and secondary coach/pass game coordinator Mike Mickens (Notre Dame).