ExtremeRavens Posted February 26 Share Posted February 26 INDIANAPOLIS — After the Ravens had their coaching staff raided following an NFL-best 13-4 record and reaching the AFC championship game, coach John Harbaugh has begun to fill some of those voids. On Monday, Baltimore announced four hirings: Mark DeLeone as inside linebackers coach; Dennis Johnson as defensive line coach; Doug Mallory as defensive backs coach; and Travelle Wharton as assistant offensive line coach. All but Wharton had been previously reported. DeLeone replaces Zach Orr, who earlier this month was promoted to defensive coordinator following the departure of Mike Macdonald to become the Seattle Seahawks’ head coach. The 36-year-old most recently served as a defensive analyst for the University of Kansas but brings a wealth of NFL experience. After spending 2012 as a defensive assistant for the New York Jets, DeLeone served as the Kansas City Chiefs’ defensive quality control coach for three years under coach Andy Reid, whom Harbaugh previously worked under with the Philadelphia Eagles, before being promoted to assistant linebackers coach in 2016 and then inside linebackers coach in 2018. He then spent two years in the same role with the Chicago Bears under defensive coordinator Chuck Pagano, a former Harbaugh assistant. DeLeone also coached former Bears and current Ravens inside linebacker Roquan Smith from 2019 to 2020. Johnson, meanwhile, takes over for the departed Anthony Weaver, who left to become the Miami Dolphins’ defensive coordinator after being passed over by the Ravens for a second time. Unlike DeLeone, Johnson has no NFL experience. The 35-year-old spent the last dozen years at the college level, most recently as the defensive line coach of Baylor from 2020 to 2023. Before that, he spent six seasons at LSU, his alma mater, in a variety of defensive roles, including as an analyst during the Tigers’ 2019 national championship season. A former walk-on and member of the Tigers’ 2011 SEC championship team that played for a national title, Johnson began his coaching career as a graduate assistant in 2012 at Northwestern State, where he also worked with the linebackers and secondary for two years. As for Mallory, he has ties to the Harbaugh family as well. The 59-year-old spent the past three seasons as a defensive analyst at Michigan under Harbaugh’s brother Jim. His career also briefly overlapped with Ravens offensive coordinator Todd Monken at LSU, where he was the defensive backs coach from 2005 to 2007 and then co-defensive coordinator in 2008. Mallory, who coached defensive backs at Maryland from 1997 to 2000, also spent six years in various roles with the Atlanta Falcons, whom he helped reach the Super Bowl in 2016 as a defensive assistant and then served as the team’s defensive backs coach for four years. Wharton, meanwhile, takes over for Mike Devlin, who left to become the Los Angeles Chargers’ offensive line coach. The 42-year-old spent last season as the Washington Commanders’ offensive line coach under Ron Rivera, another coach with ties to John Harbaugh from their days in Philadelphia. Wharton, who played offensive line in the NFL for nearly a decade, mostly with the Carolina Panthers, was not retained by Washington’s new coach Dan Quinn. View the full article Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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