Done deal: Dolphins has successfully land in a new coach from the Ravens

mfe nelson | February 3, 2024 | Baltimore Ravens | No Comments

Reports: Anthony Weaver to Become Dolphins Defensive Coordinator

Assistant Head Coach/Defensive Line Anthony Weaver has agreed to become the Dolphins’ next defensive coordinator, according to Jordan Schultz of Bleacher Report.

Dolphins finalizing deal to hire Anthony Weaver as new defensive coordinator - Yahoo Sports

Anthony Weaver is the #Dolphins new DC. John Harbaugh and the #Ravens wanted to retain this rising star, but Miami got the deal done.
Weaver became Baltimore’s defensive line coach in 2021 and was promoted to assistant head coach/defensive line in 2022.

Weaver was the Texans’ defensive coordinator for one season (2020), before Head Coach Bill O’Brien was fired and his coaching staff was dismantled. Weaver spent five seasons with the Texans’ coaching staff and has also coached with the Browns, Bills and Jets.

The 43-year-old Weaver interviewed for head coaching positions with the Commanders and Falcons during the recent NFL hiring cycle.

Head Coach John Harbaugh said Friday that Weaver will be a future head coach in the NFL and confirmed that he was a candidate to join Miami as their coordinator.

“Anthony Weaver…runs the whole defensive front and does a great job with the pass rush,” Harbaugh said. “He does a great job with the run defense. He’s also my assistant head coach. He’s a phenomenal leader. He was interviewing for head-coaching jobs already this year.

“If he gets that (Miami) job, I’ll be happy for him.”

Report: Dolphins hiring Ravens DL coach Anthony Weaver as defensive coordinator - Yahoo Sports

A former defensive lineman, Weaver began his NFL playing with career with the Ravens in 2002 as a second-round pick and spent four seasons in Baltimore. He played his final three seasons with the Texans before starting his coaching career.

Weaver is the third Ravens defensive coach to land elsewhere already this offseason, along with Mike Macdonald (Seahawks) and Dennard Wilson (Titans).

Ravens Seen as Potential Landing Spot for Recent Foe’s Starting RB

The Baltimore Ravens are pretty thin at running back heading into the 2024 offseason.

J.K. Dobbins and Gus Edwards are both free agents. Keaton Mitchell suffered a torn ACL late in the season.

The team didn’t get to see much of Dalvin Cook and he is also a free agent.

That leaves the team with some things to figure out at the position right now.

Devin Singletary - Houston Texans Running Back - ESPN

Bleacher Report’s David Kenyon believes that could lead them to a running back they just faced in the playoffs.

He named the Ravens as a potential landing spot for Houston Texans running back Devin Singletary.

Singletary played the 2023 season on a 1-year deal with the Texans and impressed in the second half of the season.

A Steady Producer at Running Back
Since the Buffalo Bills selected him in the third round of the 2019 draft, Singletary has been steadily producing at running back.

As a rookie, Singletary ran for 775 yards and made 29 catches for 194 yards while sharing the backfield with Frank Gore.

The team drafted Zack Moss in round three the following year anyway.

Singletary was still able to produce 956 total yards that season.

Over the next two seasons, Singletary ran for over 800 yards and added more than 200 receiving yards in each year.

That wasn’t enough for him to be brought back by the Bills when his rookie contract ended as they decided to turn the backfield over to James Cook and let Singletary leave in free agency.

Singletary ended up being signed by the Texans as a complementary back to share carries with Dameon Pierce, who had a standout rookie season in 2022.

He ended up overtaking Pierce as the team’s starting running back in the second half of the year and put in some huge performances for the Texans.

He ended the year with more than 800 rushing yards for the third consecutive season and he added 193 receiving yards.

Now he has a chance to cash in during free agency, but he’ll face some serious competition for a contract in the free agent market.

Ravens’ Options at Running Back

Devin Singletary joins The Slant

While the NFL’s running back market is a terrible place for RBs to end up these days, it’s a great place for teams looking to add some more talent to their offense.

There are a ton of viable options for the Ravens if they decide to upgrade at the position.

Derrick Henry wasn’t the same dominating force in 2023 that he has previously been in his career, but will still be a popular option for teams in need of a running back.

Saquon Barkley was limited by a bad Giants offense this past season, but could have a big impact for a team like the Ravens.

Josh Jacobs led the league in rushing yards just a year ago, but his time in Vegas is probably over.

Tony Pollard ran for 1005 yards in his first season as the Cowboys’ lead back and could pair very well with Edwards if the Ravens bring him back.

D’Andre Swift had a career resurgence after being traded to the Eagles and could continue that in Baltimore.

All of these options would be more expensive than Singletary, but there are plenty of directions the Ravens could go as they address their running back situation.