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The Baltimore Ravens had one of the best rosters in the NFL this season, but they fell short in the playoffs once again just like in past years. This season, it was the Buffalo Bills who were able to take down the Ravens with a dramatic 27-25 win in the Divisional Round in Buffalo.
Now, the Ravens are left looking for answers and trying to improve on the margins to make another run at an AFC Championship next season with Lamar Jackson at quarterback. A big part of that during this offseason will be addressing the defense that gave up explosive play after explosive play at the start of the season. That side of the ball got a huge boost on Tuesday when former Indianapolis Colts head coach Chuck Pagano joined the Ravens staff as a senior secondary coach, per Tom Pelissero of NFL Network.
Pagano was on Harbaugh’s staff when he started in Baltimore back in 2008, so the two know each other well. He was elevated to defensive coordinator under Harbaugh in 2011 before becoming the head coach of the Indianapolis Colts, a position that he held until 2017. He was most recently the defensive coordinator for the Chicago Bears in 2019-20 before retiring from coaching.
Now, Pagano will join a defensive staff led by young defensive coordinator Zach Orr, who got better as the season went along. For that reason, Ravens fans should be thrilled about this hire.
Chuck Pagano should help this Ravens secondary continue to improve in the same way that it did over the back half of the 2024 campaign. At the start of the season, this Ravens defense couldn’t stop giving up big pass plays down the field, but it continued to get better as the season went along.
The big personnel change that the Ravens made to help facilitate the change was moving superstar safety Kyle Hamilton back to free safety instead of playing him down near the line of scrimmage as a big nickel player. Once Hamilton went back to secure the back end of the defense, some of those explosive passes that opposing teams were able to get started to dry up.
At corner, rookie Nate Wiggins struggled some at the beginning of the season but eventually came into his own and looked like a longtime starter at the position by the end of the season. Marlon Humphrey had an All Pro season as well, so the two of them should form a lethal duo at cornerback in 2025.
The Ravens would be wise to find another reliable safety option and one more cornerback this offseason to secure that position room. Even if those additions are young players, or if the Ravens choose to continue marching on with the pieces that they currently have, having Pagano in that room will be a big boost for them next season.
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