Ravens reportedly hire Zachary Orr as inside linebackers coach

The Ravens have reportedly hired Zachary Orr as their next inside linebackers coach

The Baltimore Ravens have made a big amount of coaching moves over the last few weeks. They replaced former defensive coordinator Don Martindale with Mike Macdonald, and multiple coaches from their 2021 staff won’t be returning to the staff in 2022.

One of the coaches who isn’t coming back to the team is former inside linebackers coach Rob Ryan. The experienced Ryan only spent one season in Baltimore, and it seems that the team has tabbed his replacement in former Ravens linebacker Zachary Orr, who also worked in the coaching department with the team once his playing career came to a close. The news has been reported by multiple outlets.

Orr totaled 163 total tackles in three years playing linebacker in Baltimore, including a 133 tackle campaign in 2016. However, he had to retire after that year with a congenital neck/spine condition. He then broke into the Ravens’ organization as a coach, but followed former Jacksonville Jaguars defensive coordinator Joe Cullen to Jacksonville, where he spent the 2021 season

 

Zachary Orr’s role on Jags’ staff will be as an outside LBs coach

Zachary Orr has made it official with the Jags and will coach their outside linebackers specifically.

On Tuesday, word broke that Baltimore Ravens assistant Zachary Orr would be joining the Jacksonville Jaguars staff, and now we have some clarity on his role. Per NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo and Orr’s sports agent representation (Keeping it Real Sports), he will be an outside linebackers coach.

Orr, 28, could end up being the youngest coach on the Jags’ staff when the hiring process is wrapped up. He’ll be joining defensive coordinator Joe Cullen and defensive assistant Sterling Lucas, who also will be coming from Baltimore’s staff, in the process of his transition.

Another key nugget to come from Orr’s signing is the fact that he’s going to coach the outside linebackers specifically. That’s an indication that the Jags will have an inside linebackers coach, too, and will likely use a 3-4 alignment — at least to some extent.

Earlier in the offseason, Pete Thamel of Yahoo Sports reported that Urban Meyer’s longtime assistant with the Florida Gators, Charlie Strong, was set to join the Jags’ staff as an assistant head coach and positions coach. When looking at his background as a college assistant (with the Gators), it’s possible he will be the Jags’ inside linebackers coach if the role is confirmed.

Ravens assistant Zachary Orr to join Jags’ staff

The Jags will be adding Zachary Orr to their staff as a defensive assistant after he interviewed for them last Friday.

According to The Athletic’s Jeff Zrebiec, Baltimore Ravens assistant Zachary Orr will follow Joe Cullen and Sterling Lucas to the Jacksonville Jaguars organization. After interviewing with the team last week, Orr seemingly impressed Urban Meyer, and while his role hasn’t been revealed, it’s likely that he’ll end up being a linebackers coach.

Orr, 28, was a former linebacker for the Ravens but retired from the NFL in 2017 because of a congenital spine condition. Afterward, he got the opportunity to join his former team as a coaching analyst the same year.

Orr’s role under the Ravens was to shadow defensive coordinator Don Martindale and he also sat in on special teams meetings. His offseason duties included work on the personnel side like player evaluations.

Cullen became quite familiar with Orr as he had been their defensive line coach a year before Orr became an assistant. Cullen, Orr, and Lucas eventually were together on the Ravens’ defensive staff for four seasons.

Orr was a player for the Ravens for three seasons and accumulated 163 total tackles. They acquired him in 2014 as an undrafted free agent out of North Texas.

Ravens lose Zachary Orr, Sterling Lucas, Brian Duker as coaching exodus continues

The Baltimore Ravens continue to see the coaching staff poached as Zachary Orr, Brian Duker, and Sterling Lucas get hired elsewhere

The Baltimore Ravens might have a whole new coaching staff by next season if this continues. The Ravens have lost three more young coaches this offseason as the Detroit Lions have hired Brian Duker, and the Jacksonville Jaguars have hired Zachary Orr and Sterling Lucas away from Baltimore, according to Jeff Zrebiec of the Athletic.

The Jacksonville Jaguars have clearly been looking at the Ravens’ staff, hiring away three of the seven coaches that have left Baltimore this offseason. Orr and Lucas will join former Ravens defensive line coach Joe Cullen, who was hired to be the Jaguars’ new defensive coordinator. Orr and Duker had been defensive coaching analysts while Lucas was the team’s defensive assistant.

Puzzlingly, while teams have poached six of Baltimore’s defensive coaches away, defensive coordinator Don Martindale hasn’t gotten an interview for a head coaching position this offseason. While Martindale was in the running for the Giants’ head coaching job last season, New York decided to go in a different direction, hiring Joe Judge. But with the Ravens’ defense once again performing well this season — finishing second in points allowed and seventh in yards allowed — despite an injury- and COVID-19-ravaged depth chart, it’s shocking Martindale wasn’t interviewed at all while so many of his assistant coaches have been hired away.

For a team that has preached about coaching continuity under coach John Harbaugh, there has been a massive amount of turnover this offseason. He’ll have a tough task of finding even more replacements for his staff while the team prepares for free agency and the 2021 NFL draft.

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