There’s a point there where it felt like the Baltimore Ravens were truly going to turn things around and make a run. They were 1-5. They toppled the Chicago Bears in a Week 8 home game after the bye. That began a streak of five straight wins.

Adversity came again. They lost three of their next five games, setting up a winner-take-all finale vs. the hated Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 18.

Advertisement

Ultimately, we all know how things ended. The 30th-anniversary season ended with Tyler Loop’s go-ahead field goal attempt sailing wide of its target. The Steelers won the AFC North. They earned the playoff berth. That saved Mike Tomlin’s job (at the time).

Baltimore was left with more questions than answers. John Harbaugh was fired after a postseason loss, and Mike Tomlin stepped down anyway. That ends a 44-game-long feud between the two.

The next time the Ravens and Steelers meet, they’ll be led by two new head coaches. Baltimore recently announced the hire of Jesse Minter. The Steelers made an uninspiring hire. They’ll now be led by Mike McCarthy.

Ryan Clark suggests an expected and obvious plan for building a Lamar Jackson-led Ravens future.

Games aren’t won on paper, but it seems, from the outside looking in, that the Ravens already have the advantage on the sideline. With Aaron Rodgers’ future decision pending, it’s easy to ask a question. Seeing as how Tomlin’s presence had a lot to do with Rodgers joining the Steelers in the first place, can we argue that McCarthy’s hire is a blatant attempt to try and win him back?

Advertisement

Here’s another question. Even if Rodgers does return, don’t the Ravens have an advantage at the quarterback position anyway? Some believe Baltimore’s decision to move on from Harbaugh suggests that they chose their two-time MVP over their head coach of nearly two decades.

That brings us to our final questions. Now what? Where do the Ravens go from here? How does this team construct a winner again?

ESPN’s Ryan Clark shared his theory. A beautiful Ravens future involves a plan to rebuild this team around Lamar Jackson on both sides of the ball, one in which the team’s success is tied to that of Jackson.

What do you think? Do you agree? It seems, with a new head coach in place and a new offensive coordinator coming, that this is the only route this team can take, and honestly, that may be the point. There may not be another path. The Ravens, without John Harbaugh at the helm, are in search of a new identity.

Advertisement

Once known for its defense, the Ravens organization was tied to powerful defenders who were proven leaders. They’ve shifted and are now led by an offensive star who is far less vocal but among the best of his era.

In moving on from John Harbaugh, they chose to turn the page on sideline leadership. Players will move on in free agency, but the important cogs will keep the engine running.

This is Lamar Jackson’s team now, in every sense that matters. AS he goes, this team will go. Jesse Minter wasn’t hired to maintain the past. He was hired to maximize the present and secure the future. Make no mistake, he’s here to win a Super Bowl, not get this team to the playoffs. Let’s hope John Harbaugh doesn’t win one first. Can you imagine?

This article originally appeared on Ravens Wire: ESPN analyst weighs in on Ravens future led by Lamar Jackson