Early in the offseason, the Baltimore Ravens have witnessed a coaching talent exodus on defense after a 13-win 2023 campaign with a historically strong defensive unit.
Anthony Weaver, who last week accepted the position of defensive coordinator with the Miami Dolphins, was one notable departure. As a result, the Ravens needed to hire a new defensive line coach to fill the vacancy.
Dennis Johnson of Baylor is being hired by the Ravens to take on this position, according to the NFL on CBS’s Jonathan Jones on Wednesday.
Since 2020, Johnson has served as the University of Baylor’s defensive line coach. He had served in the same capacity as an outside linebackers coach at his alma mater, LSU. Prior to that, Johnson also held coaching positions at Northwestern State and Kentucky.
This will be Johnson’s first NFL coaching position. At the tender age of 35, he received his degree from LSU in 2012. Johnson assisted in leading a Baylor defense in 2021 that finished in the top 20 nationally in terms of points allowed, sacks per game, and rushing defense.
Previously, John Harbaugh has successfully hired college coaches, most notably Todd Monken (Georgia) and Mike Macdonald (Michigan).
Johnson has a lot of work ahead of him as Weaver is regarded as a possible future head coach. Under him will be a defensive line that should return the majority of its core from the previous campaign, with the status of free agent Justin Madubuike still up in the air.