OWINGS MILLS — Ravens defensive coordinator Zachary Orr is determined to fix the weakness in his defense, starting Sunday against the Washington Commanders.
While the Ravens have been able to shut down opposing teams’ running games, the pass defense is among the worst in the NFL.
“Nobody is batting an eye, nobody is wavering,” Orr said about the team’s struggles. “We talk about it all the time; adversity is going to face you in life, just, even as a man – forget football – and it’s going to be about how you respond and how you keep getting up. And we’ve probably faced more adversity than we’ve liked because we feel like a lot of it has been self-inflicted, but the guys have [kept] responding the right way.
“So, I’m fired up. That’s what keeps me going, honestly – [that] we’ve got the right people to go out here and go do the job.”
The Ravens have given up 1,401 yards passing and opposing quarterbacks have averaged 280.2 yards per game — both ranked 31st in the NFL behind the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Ravens All-Pro safety Kyle Hamilton identified three areas where the team needs to improve: tackling, getting off blocks, and communicating more effectively.
Orr is in his first year as the defensive coordinator and coach John Harbaugh expected some growing pains. Harbaugh brought in former defensive coordinator Dean Pees to serve as an adviser to Orr, who appreciates the gesture.
“I know he was retired, [but] he still had that fire in him, and you could tell that he wanted to still be around ball, [that] he still had a passion for [and] still had a passion for coaching,” Orr said. “He’s been here; he knows me, [and] he knows a lot of people in the building, and he’s a great football mind. He’s been a defensive coordinator, been a position coach [and] a head coach at the college level.
“He’s been really successful as a football coach, so I think a person who knows the culture, knows the organization, that is still willing to teach and learn, I think it couldn’t do anything but help us [to] bring him in.”
The Ravens’ secondary faces another challenge against Commanders rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels, who is the first player in NFL history with more than 1,000 yards passing and 250 yards rushing in his first five career games.
“[Daniels] does a great job of having his poise,” Orr said. “He looks really comfortable out there, [and] he’s continuing to get better every week. The thing that has impressed me the most is they do a lot at the line. They really don’t huddle up a lot.
“They do a lot of different tempos, a lot of different cadences, and he just seems like he handles it really well, so hats off to him. We don’t look at him as a rookie.”