Ravens' John Harbaugh Draws High Praise

The Baltimore Ravens fortunately have one of the top coaches in the entire NFL.

Oct 1, 2023; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Baltimore Ravens head coach John Harbaugh walks off the field after a win over the Cleveland Browns at Cleveland Browns Stadium. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-USA TODAY Sports / David Richard-USA TODAY Sports

In a league as volatile as the NFL, which some jokingly say is short for "Not For Long," the Baltimore Ravens have the rare benefit of coaching stability on their side.

John Harbaugh is entering his 17th season in Baltimore, making him the second-longest-tenured coach in the league and just one season short of Pittsburgh Steelers coach Mike Tomlin. Over his long run as the Ravens' leader, Harbaugh has made the team into a consistent winner with playoff appearances in 11 of his 16 seasons. It also helps that he has a Super Bowl XLVII championship under his belt, and is determined to add a second piece of hardware soon.

Harbaugh is one of the most-respected coaches in the league today, and for good reason. In fact, Gordon McGuiness of Pro Football Focus placed him at No. 3 on a recent ranking of returning coaches, only behind Andy Reid of the Kansas City Chiefs and Kyle Shanahan of the San Francisco 49ers.

"Before the Ravens drafted Lamar Jackson in 2018, it looked like John Harbaugh could be on his way out as their head coach," McGuiness writes. "The former Heisman Trophy winner helped turn things around, and Harbaugh has also improved as a coach in recent years. Harbaugh’s strength has been his ability to make the right decisions on coordinators, as the switch to Mike Macdonald in 2022 led to a defense that allowed an average of -0.134 EPA per play in 2023. On offense, he switched from Greg Roman to Todd Monken, which helped them bounce back to eighth in EPA per play in 2023."

Frankly, there's an argument to be made that Harbaugh should be at No. 2 above Shanahan, who has no Super Bowl rings despite two appearances as a head coach. Still, No. 3 is a great placement in its own right, especially when it's above the likes of Tomlin and Los Angeles Rams Super Bowl winning coach Sean McVay.

If Harbaugh can put another ring on his hand, then maybe he will climb higher on similar rankings in the future.

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