ExtremeRavens Posted Friday at 05:32 PM Posted Friday at 05:32 PM The Ravens have parted ways with inside linebackers coach Mark DeLeone, according to KPRC-TV. The move is the first change to coach John Harbaugh’s staff this offseason. Under DeLone, Baltimore’s inside linebackers had an uneven year. Though Roquan Smith was eventually named an All-Pro, he struggled in coverage early in the season alongside second-year linebacker Trenton Simpson. Eventually, Simpson, who had his own struggles against the pass and run, was benched and replaced by the veteran duo of Malik Harrison and Chris Board. The group’s play settled down and Smith went on to have the fifth-most tackles in the NFL. DeLeone had replaced Zach Orr after Orr was promoted to defensive coordinator following the departure of Mike Macdonald to become the Seattle Seahawks’ coach. The 36-year-old came to Baltimore from the University of Kansas, where he was a defensive analyst. He’d also worked in several roles around the NFL, including as inside linebackers coach of the Kansas City Chiefs in 2018, the Chicago Bears in 2019 and 2020 — alongside Smith — and the Detroit Lions in 2021. In his season-ending news conference Wednesday, Harbaugh said he was still “pretty early” in the process of determining what changes there could be to his staff. “Of course, I’d love to keep them,” Harbaugh said. “I tell them, I say, ‘I’m rooting for you, and I’ll definitely tell people how great you are, because you deserve it, but if it doesn’t work out for you, I’m really happy that you’re staying with us.’ And our players, I’ve talked to a lot of our players, and I know our players feel the same way.” Have a news tip? Contact Brian Wacker at bwacker@baltsun.com, 410-332-6200 and x.com/brianwacker1. View the full article Quote
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