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The Ravens are hiring Georgia’s Todd Monken as offensive coordinator, the team announced Tuesday
Monken, 57, replaces Greg Roman as play-caller. He was instrumental in helping the Bulldogs win back-to-back national championships. Georgia finished last season ranked second nationally in offensive efficiency, according to ESPN’s FPI, for the second straight year. In their national championship game against Texas Christian, the Bulldogs recorded 589 yards, 32 first downs and nine touchdowns, led by Heisman Trophy finalist Stetson Bennett, a former walk-on at quarterback.
“We conducted 21 interviews with 14 candidates throughout a thorough process that had wide-ranging organizational involvement,” Ravens head coach John Harbaugh said in a statement Tuesday. “Todd’s leadership and coaching acumen were evident from the beginning. He has a proven track record for designing and teaching offensive systems that allow players to succeed at the highest level. We’re excited to get to work and begin building an offense that will help us compete for championships.”
Monken’s Georgia offenses, like Roman’s in Baltimore, leaned on their talented tight ends and overpowering running games. But before heading to Georgia in 2020, Monken also coordinated productive NFL aerial attacks that relied heavily on three-wide-receiver formations. He served as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ coordinator from 2016 to 2018 and the Cleveland Browns’ coordinator in 2019, though he didn’t call plays.
At Oklahoma State, where Monken served as offensive coordinator from 2011 to 2012, he ran a variation of the Air Raid offense, the pass-first attack developed by Hal Mumme and popularized by Mike Leach. After leaving the Cowboys for a head coaching job at Southern Miss, he went 13-25 in three seasons.
In Baltimore, Monken will take control of an offense that should have star quarterback Lamar Jackson, a talented offensive line and deep tight end room returning in 2023. The Ravens were the NFL’s best rushing team under Roman over the past four years, but their passing game struggled at times, undercut by subpar wide receiver talent and suboptimal play designs. After leading the league in passing efficiency in 2019, according to Football Outsiders, the team finished 17th, 16th and 16th over the next three seasons.
Monken’s hiring comes a year after Harbaugh hired a college defensive coordinator, Michigan’s Mike Macdonald, to the same post in Baltimore. Monken is the seventh offensive coordinator under Harbaugh, who’s led the Ravens since 2008.
Roman, who stepped down four weeks ago, is reportedly interviewing for the Washington Commanders’ offensive coordinator position this week.
jonas.shaffer@thebaltimorebanner.com
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Jonas Shaffer is a Ravens beat writer for The Baltimore Banner. He previously covered the Ravens for The Baltimore Sun. Shaffer graduated from the University of Maryland and grew up in Silver Spring.
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