Zach Orr Named Ravens' DC After Mike Macdonald Hired as Seahawks HC

The Baltimore Ravens have named Zach Orr as their new defensive coordinator, the team announced on Thursday.

Orr, who was previously the inside linebackers coach, will take over for Mike Macdonald, who left to be the Seattle Seahawks' next head coach.

Orr played for the Ravens as a linebacker from 2014 to 2016 when he had to retire due to a spinal condition. Upon his retirement, he joined the Ravens' coaching staff as a defensive analyst, serving in that position until 2020. In 2021, he took over as the outside linebackers coach for the Jacksonville Jaguars before rejoining Baltimore's staff as the inside linebackers coach in 2022.

Last season, Macdonald oversaw a Ravens defense that held opponents to just 16.5 points per game and 328.1 total offensive yards per game. Now, Orr will look to match Macdonald's success. Macdonald served as the Ravens' defensive coordinator for just two seasons but had been with Baltimore in several different capacities every year but one since 2021.

The Ravens had a promising year in 2023, but ultimately fell short in the AFC Championship to Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs. It has been over a decade since Baltimore's Super Bowl victory in 2012, and the Ravens are hoping 2024 will be the year they can finally bring home another championship.

Perhaps a new look at defensive coordinator will help them achieve that goal.