Although Anthony Weaver missed out on the head coaching jobs he was applying for, there was still a promotion in the cards for him. The Miami Dolphins have named Weaver their defensive coordinator, the team announced Saturday.
Weaver, 43, spent seven seasons with the Ravens — four as a player and the last three as a coach. He joined the coaching staff in 2021 as the defensive line coach and run game coordinator, and in 2022 he was promoted to assistant head coach and defensive line coach.
Out of the Ravens’ remaining defensive coaches following Mike Macdonald’s departure to the Seattle Seahawks, Weaver was the only one with play-calling experience from the year he spent as the Houston Texans’ defensive coordinator in 2020.
“I am excited to add Anthony to our staff, not only for what he will bring to the Dolphins as a teacher and coach, but even more so who he is as a leader of men,” Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel said in a statement. “He has a proven resume of success, built on his personal investment in his players. Most importantly, he shares our belief that player development is the cornerstone to both team building and sustained excellence.”
Weaver has coaching experience across five NFL and two college teams, and he played for two NFL teams, the Ravens and Texans. Outside of his first two years coaching at colleges, when he was a graduate assistant at Florida and a linebackers coach at North Texas, Weaver has worked with the defensive line.
With the Ravens, Weaver helped the defense finish first and third in rushing yards allowed per game in the regular seasons of 2021 and 2022, respectively. Although they fell to 14th in 2023, the defensive line leveled up its pass rush. The Ravens led the league in sacks (60) despite ranking near the bottom in blitz rate (19.7%), according to TruMedia. They finished with 397 quarterback pressures, the most by a team since PFF started tracking the stat in 2006.
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Last offseason, Weaver played a big role in shaping the team that finished with the best regular-season record (13-4) in the NFL. He led the search committee that hired offensive coordinator Todd Monken, and he helped recruit outside linebacker Jadeveon Clowney in free agency.
The Ravens saw many of their defensive linemen take strides under Weaver. Justin Madubuike went from playing 15 games with two sacks and five quarterback hits in 2021 to a 17-game starter who finished with 13 sacks and 33 quarterback hits in 2023. He was named an All-Pro this season after leading all interior defensive linemen in sacks.
Broderick Washington and Travis Jones have also taken steps forward. Washington had his first multisack season, and Jones improved his stats across the board in his second NFL season. Nose tackle Michael Pierce, a seven-year veteran, had his second-best statistical season this year.
This season, Weaver also worked with outside linebackers coach Chuck Smith, and that group made significant contributions to the pass rush. Clowney had a career year, and latecomer Kyle Van Noy seamlessly slid in and recorded the most sacks of his 10-year career.
After the regular season ended, Weaver interviewed for two head coaching positions: the Atlanta Falcons’ and the Washington Commanders’. Ahead of the Week 17 game against Miami, coach John Harbaugh listed Weaver as one of the Ravens’ young assistant coaches who will one day be a great head coach.
