With the announcement that both Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson and Houston Texans offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik will be returning to their respective teams, Baltimore Ravens defensive coordinator Mike Macdonald remains one of the hottest names on the market for teams still looking to fill their head coach vacancy.
“[Defensive coordinator Mike Macdonald] deserves everything that’s coming his way,” safety Kyle Hamilton said. “If that is a head job somewhere, then we’re all super proud of him. I think everybody has their own journey [and] own time in this league, and he’s a hot name in this league right now, and deservedly so. He’s done a great job with us for the past couple years, and he’s earned it, and it hasn’t been given to him. I’m happy for him. If he stays here, that would be dope, too.”
“I think [Mike Macdonald’s] the best [head-coaching] candidate out there right now,” inside linebacker Patrick Queen said. “I don’t think anybody does it like him. Nobody cares like him. Nobody will do what he does. He will not rest until he has everything right. Whoever gets him, if he leaves, they’re getting the best candidate out there. The guy is all around just the best person I’ve ever been around, coach-wise [and] person-wise. He really cares and truly cares about the players, the people around the organization and the fans.”
“[Defensive coordinator] Mike [Macdonald] is going to do a really good job,” outside linebacker Kyle Van Noy said. “If he gets a head-coaching job, he’s going to be really, really good. [He’s a] very solid coach, [who’s] very good at Xs and Os [and] very good at communicating and getting the team galvanized in the right direction for the main goal – and he loves football. I think that [it’s] awesome for him to get looked at as [a] head [coach] at such a young age that he has – I guess – in the league. But hats off to him. He called a great season as a D-coordinator, and I think whoever gets him – if he gets [hired] this cycle, this year … If [he doesn’t get hired this year], he’s going to be at the tops next year and the year after that. So, I expect big things out of him.”
Macdonald has orchestrated elite defenses in both of his first two seasons as an NFL defensive coordinator and has emerged as one of the most promising young coaches in the game. Several Ravens defenders endorsed Macdonald for a head coach position following the end of Baltimore’s season.