The Ravens will have a new offensive coordinator in 2023 as Greg Roman leaves to seek other opportunities, his agency Athletes First announced.
The news broke hours before the Ravens’ 2:30 p.m. Thursday press conference with head coach John Harbaugh and general manager Eric DeCosta, and the Ravens released a statement from Harbaugh.
“Greg has spearheaded the development and success of a record-breaking offense at Baltimore for several seasons,” Harbaugh said. “He’s a great football coach, but also a family man and a person.
“Greg developed our offense and led it to no fewer than 26 historic NFL and franchise wins. He created an identity for our offense. We are grateful for Greg’s amazing work and skills and wish him and his wonderful family the best of luck in the future. “
Roman released a statement Thank you owner Steve Bisciotti, Harbaugh, other Ravens organizers, players and fans.
“After visiting Coach Harbaugh and meeting with my family, I’ve decided now is the right time to step away from the Ravens so I can explore new challenges and opportunities,” Roman said.
Roman has been the Ravens’ offensive line coordinator since 2019 and has developed some of the most successful offenses in franchise history with Lamar Jackson as the signal caller. In 2019, Roman was named AP Assistant Coach of the Year and Jackson was unanimously named the league MVP. When Jackson played, the Ravens had a 39-15 record with Roman.
Roman built a revolutionary offensive centered around Jackson’s unreal talent, and Jackson executed it at a high level. In Roman’s four seasons at the helm, the Ravens offense ranked here:
- 2019 – 1st in points, 2nd in yards
- 2020 – 7th in points, 19th in yards
- 2021 – 17th in points, 6th in yards
- 2022 – 19th in points, 16th in yards
The Ravens had never before finished in the top 10 for points scored in consecutive seasons. Their 2019 rankings were both franchise highs.
In 2019, the Ravens had 3,296 rushing yards, breaking the New England Patriots’ mark for most rushing yards in a season, a record that stood for 41 years. Jackson’s 1,206 rushing yards in 2019 is the most by a quarterback. From 2019-2021, the Ravens also rushed for 100 yards in 43 straight games, tying the Pittsburgh Steelers (1974-1977) for the most in league history.
This season, however, the Ravens offense ran into more trouble. The Baltimore unit got off to a hot start but slowed when top wide receiver Rashod Bateman was lost to a season-ending foot injury. When Jackson went down with a knee injury in Week 13, the offense struggled more. The Ravens averaged 13.6 points in their last six games without Jackson, including the wildcard playoff loss in Cincinnati.
The Ravens scored 17 points in the playoff loss and the game turned when a goalline quarterback sneak by Tyler Huntley led to a fumble that was returned by Bengal defensive end Sam Hubbard for a 98-yard touchdown.
The Ravens’ red-zone problems were a concern all year as they finished 30th in the NFL. Roman’s innovative rushing scheme excelled again, as Baltimore was second in the league with 160 rushing yards per game, but passing offense ranked 28th.
Baltimore’s offensive was always run-heavy under Roman, but less efficient in the passing game. The Ravens ranked 16th in the Football Outsiders DVOA in 2022, 16th in 2021, 17th in 2020, and first in 2019. The Ravens ranked 28th in passing yards per game that season (178.8 ), the 13th and 27th in 2019.