Greg Roman stepped down as offensive coordinator of the Baltimore Ravens on Thursday.
Roman, 50, has spent six seasons with the Ravens, including the last four as the team’s offensive coordinator.
This season wasn’t kind to Roman, however, as fans openly vented their frustration with the direction of the team. Running back J.K. Dobbins also complained about a lack of touches in the red zone during Baltimore’s 24-17 wild-card loss to the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday.
“After visiting with Coach (John) Harbaugh and after huddling with my family, I have decided that now is the right time to move on from the Ravens so that I can explore new challenges and opportunities,” Roman said in a statement. “… I’ll truly miss Baltimore, but at the same time I am excited to attack my next opportunity with focus and passion.”
Harbaugh, who is entering his 16th season with the team, will begin the search for his seventh offensive coordinator. He will have the input of starting quarterback Lamar Jackson, who Harbaugh said has a “200 percent” chance of staying.
Harbaugh made the comments in a press conference with general manager Eric DeCosta on Thursday afternoon.
“We leave that era, kinda, and we move into the next era now in terms of our offense,” Harbaugh said of the departing Roman. “And I did ask Lamar about it. He will be involved in it. I’ll keep him abreast of what’s going on and I’m sure he’ll have some input along the way.
“This is going to be a highly sought-after job. This is one of the top football coaching jobs in the world. Everybody’s gonna want this job.”
Harbaugh said he and Roman “spent hours talking about this” over the last couple of days.
“This is something that I think is good. It’s an opportunity for him,” Harbaugh said. “The things he accomplished here were pretty historical. There were records set here … that are gonna stand for a long, long time. … Greg’s a great coach and he did the best he could every single week, every single day.”
Under Roman’s watch, the Ravens set an NFL record for rushing yards in a season (3,216 in 2019) and rushing yards by a quarterback (Jackson, 1,206 in 2019), among others. The team finished first in yards and points scored in 2019, with Jackson being named NFL MVP in the process.
But the Ravens struggled at times offensively this season, especially after Jackson sustained a knee injury against the Denver Broncos on Dec. 4. Baltimore failed to eclipse 17 points during Jackson’s six-game absence.
Fans voiced their frustration in a variety of ways, including “Fire Greg Roman” signs during and after a 13-3 loss to the Cleveland Browns on Dec. 17. Harbaugh, in fact, cut off a question from the press about Roman’s future after that game.
“We’re not getting into all that,” Harbaugh said at the time. “You guys can talk about all that and I respect that. I love the fans talking about everything they can talk about.”
The Ravens finished the season ranked 16th in total offense (338.8 yards per game) and 28th in passing offense (178.8).
Roman spent his first two seasons in Baltimore as an assistant focused on the tight end position. He also served as an offensive coordinator with the San Francisco 49ers (2011-14) and Buffalo Bills (2015-16).
–Field Level Media
