{"id":764876,"date":"2026-02-20T16:10:21","date_gmt":"2026-02-20T16:10:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/764876\/"},"modified":"2026-02-20T16:10:21","modified_gmt":"2026-02-20T16:10:21","slug":"jesse-minter-set-to-dominate-afc-north","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/764876\/","title":{"rendered":"Jesse Minter Set to Dominate AFC North"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>\t\t\t\t<img width=\"780\" height=\"439\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Lamar-Jackson-1-1-e1771600216683.jpg\" class=\"attachment-featured-image size-featured-image wp-post-image\" alt=\"Lamar Jackson\"   decoding=\"async\" fetchpriority=\"high\"\/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tGetty\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<p>Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson warms up before a November 16, 2025 game. <\/p>\n<p>The <a class=\"wpil_keyword_link\" href=\"https:\/\/heavy.com\/sports\/nfl\/baltimore-ravens\/\" title=\"Baltimore Ravens\" data-wpil-keyword-link=\"linked\" data-wpil-monitor-id=\"170172\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Baltimore Ravens<\/a> recently completed a complete overhaul of the coaching structure. One writer believes that those moves place them in the best position to succeed in the AFC North. The Athletic\u2019s Jeff Zrebiec, when asked about which division team looked in the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/7057936\/2026\/02\/20\/afc-north-whiparound-browns-bengals-steelers-ravens-2026\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener external nofollow\">best shape <\/a>to contend, mentioned the Ravens.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s impossible not to heavily consider the talent that the head coaches have on their rosters in any discussion about their potential 2026 success. Because of that, I have to go with Minter here. The Ravens have plenty to figure out this offseason\u2014and those issues shouldn\u2019t be minimized\u2014but there\u2019s also a lot to still like about their team, including the quarterback. As long as the Ravens have a healthy Lamar Jackson, their head coach is going to be in a position to win a lot of games.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-5780955\" class=\"size-inline wp-image-5780955\" data-lazy-load=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Jesse-Minter-2.jpg\" alt=\"Jesse Minter\" width=\"782\" height=\"521\"  \/><\/p>\n<p id=\"caption-attachment-5780955\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">GettyNew Baltimore Ravens head coach Jesse Minter during his introductory press cconference on January 29, 2026.<\/p>\n<p>The Elephant in the Room<\/p>\n<p>As of this writing, Jackson and the team continue to work on a restructure and extension. The purpose of the extension is to alleviate the cap hit the Ravens would incur if Jackson\u2019s contract remained unchanged. According to Spotrac, Baltimore would sit with a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.spotrac.com\/nfl\/player\/_\/id\/25127\/lamar-jackson\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener external nofollow\">$74.5 million<\/a> cap hit.<\/p>\n<p>That would take up 24.55% of the team\u2019s salary cap. Consequently, that fact may prevent the team from adding free agents to play in the new schemes Minter wants to execute on both sides of the ball.<\/p>\n<p>For example, offensive coordinator Declan Doyle wants a big-play offense that operates out of a three-receiver set. As of right now, Zay Flowers is the only receiver who can conceivably carve out a dominant role in the offense. As a result, when free agency opens on March 11, the team could choose to bring in a veteran on a short deal or make a bigger move.<\/p>\n<p>All of this is possible with a restructuring.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">there\u2019s elite playmakers\u2026 then there\u2019s Lamar Jackson \ud83c\udfb1\u26a1\ufe0f<a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/RavensFlock?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">#RavensFlock<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/NFL?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">#NFL<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/lpCEm6C3AI\" rel=\"nofollow\">pic.twitter.com\/lpCEm6C3AI<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Redzone Rants (@Rz_Rants) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/Rz_Rants\/status\/2023824788012364057?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">February 17, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Separation of Powers Benefits Minter\u2019s Coaching Style<\/p>\n<p>At Michigan, Minter operated as the defensive coordinator. The same thing happened with the <a class=\"wpil_keyword_link\" href=\"https:\/\/heavy.com\/sports\/nfl\/los-angeles-chargers\/\" title=\"Los Angeles Chargers\" data-wpil-keyword-link=\"linked\" data-wpil-monitor-id=\"170171\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Los Angeles Chargers<\/a>. In both cases, he focused <a href=\"https:\/\/heavy.com\/sports\/nfl\/baltimore-ravens\/ravens-feedback-minter-hire-espn\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener external nofollow\">on one side<\/a> of the ball, perhaps crafting his approach in Baltimore. Doyle will hold the <a href=\"https:\/\/heavy.com\/sports\/nfl\/baltimore-ravens\/declan-doyle-lamar-jackson-plans\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener external nofollow\">full reins<\/a> of the offense. Granted, there are senior offensive assistants in place to offer input. However, the offensive coordinator will have the final word.<\/p>\n<p>Meanwhile, on defense, Minter is there to teach the team, and defensive coordinator Anthony Weaver serves as <a href=\"https:\/\/heavy.com\/sports\/nfl\/baltimore-ravens\/ravens-dc-anthony-weaver-violent-defense-philosophy\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener external nofollow\">the motivator<\/a>, also evaluating what works and what doesn\u2019t. As the main defensive playcaller, Minter wants to bring his brand of aggressive chaos to the fold.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">The Ravens defense getting their identity back is one thing, but I\u2019m looking forward to seeing what Jesse Minter has in store for Kyle Hamilton!<\/p>\n<p>Hopefully, it\u2019s more stuff like this! \ud83d\udc47 <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/OHsIN7Ed6q\" rel=\"nofollow\">pic.twitter.com\/OHsIN7Ed6q<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Nic Mason (@British_Raven19) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/British_Raven19\/status\/2017933448862646381?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">February 1, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Are the Ravens the Most Talented Team in the AFC North?<\/p>\n<p>In his reply, Zrebiec believes that Baltimore fields the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.si.com\/nfl\/one-sentence-describe-each-teams-qb-situation-before-free-agency-2026\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener external nofollow\">most talented team<\/a> in the division. Conventional thought features Myles Garrett as the best overall player and the <a class=\"wpil_keyword_link\" href=\"https:\/\/heavy.com\/sports\/nfl\/cincinnati-bengals\/\" title=\"Bengals\" data-wpil-keyword-link=\"linked\" data-wpil-monitor-id=\"170173\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Bengals<\/a>\u2018 receiving duo of Ja\u2019Marr Chase and Tee Higgins. Yet, as a team, a collection of talent, the Ravens could lay a rational stake to the claim.<\/p>\n<p>On both sides of the ball, the Ravens, while not a complete team, could possess more pieces and need less fine-tuning than the other four teams. Two of them have quarterback questions, while the third may need to bolster their defense.<\/p>\n<p>On paper, the Ravens can win the division. However, what will the new coaches bring, and how will they affect the season?<\/p>\n<p>\n\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/heavy.com\/author\/terrancebiggs\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Terrance Biggs<\/a> Terrance started at heavy.com in January 2026&#13;<br \/>\n&#13;<br \/>\nHe is a veteran sportswriter with 12 years of experience, covering NFL, College, and MLB. Terrance has held positions at Sports Illustrated and Pro Football Sports Network. A graduate of Fort Hays State University with a bachelor&#8217;s in Communication, he is also a voting member of the Football Writers Association of America, United States Basketball Writers Association and the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association.  <a href=\"https:\/\/heavy.com\/author\/terrancebiggs\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">More about Terrance Biggs<\/a>\t\t<\/p>\n<p>\n\t\t\tMore Heavy on Ravens\n\t\t<\/p>\n<p>\n\t\t\t\tLoading more stories\n\t\t<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Getty Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson warms up before a November 16, 2025 game. The Baltimore Ravens recently&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":764877,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2052],"tags":[184,117,2282,7,6,169],"class_list":{"0":"post-764876","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-baltimore-ravens","8":"tag-baltimore","9":"tag-baltimore-ravens","10":"tag-baltimoreravens","11":"tag-football","12":"tag-nfl","13":"tag-ravens"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nfl\/116103837540567255","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/764876","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=764876"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/764876\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/764877"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=764876"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=764876"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=764876"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}