New DC Named Ravens' Most Intriguing Storyline

What will the Baltimore Ravens' defense look like under Zach Orr?

Oct 9, 2016; Baltimore, MD, USA; Baltimore Ravens linebacker Zachary Orr (54) celebrates his fumble recovery against the Washington Redskins at M&T Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mitch Stringer-USA TODAY Sports / Mitch Stringer-USA TODAY Sports

Last season, the Baltimore Ravens' defense was one of the best in the league as they allowed the fewest points and sixth-fewest yards.

This season, though, quite a lot has changed. Some key players have come and gone, with Jadeveon Clowney, Patrick Queen and Geno Stone being some notable departures. However, the biggest change is on the sideline, as inside linebackers coach Zach Orr is now defensive coordinator after Mike Macdonald left to become head coach of the Seattle Seahawks.

One of the NFL's youngest coordinators at 32 years old, Orr will likely deploy a similar scheme to his predecessor, but the bigger question is what he'll do to stand out. For ESPN's Mina Kimes, Orr's first year as defensive coordinator is the Ravens' most intriguing storyline to watch this season.

"We don't really know what to expect from Zach Orr," Kimes said on the“NFL Daily with Gregg Rosenthal” podcast. "While I think we can assume that the defense is going to look pretty similar to how it has looked — a lot of the same tendencies in terms of the simulated pressure and split-safety coverages and disguise — I thought Macdonald had such a great feel for individual game-planning, the Niners game comes to mind in particular.

"So, when we think of this defense and how good they were against elite offenses, that's going to be really tricky to approximate what he did."

As both Kimes and Rosenthal pointed out, head coach John Harbaugh the Ravens have a strong track record of hiring quality coordinators. Orr seems to be the next in the long line, so there is optimism around him even with him being so young.

"This is one of the underrated things when we think about John Harbaugh and why he's one of the best coaches in the NFL. He's been so good historically at identifying talent amongst coaches. You think about the hires he's made, the decision to move on from guys, and the people he has chosen to replace them — I thought [Offensive Coordinator Todd] Monken was fantastic last year. So, I have a lot of faith in him as the CEO coach, but I'm just a little bit nervous about that."

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