The list of candidates for the Ravens’ vacant offensive coordinator position continues to grow. Baltimore has an interview lined up with Broncos OC Justin Outten, per Mike Garafolo of NFL Network (Twitter link).
The Ravens had been linked to four other candidates prior to this news (Zac Robinson, Chad O’Shea, Dave Canales and Brian Angelichio), as the team searches for its Greg Roman replacement. The latter’s departure came as little surprise given the increasing calls for his firing which emerged during the season, but it created an intriguing vacancy given the uncertain future surrounding quarterback Lamar Jackson.
Outten, 39, followed Nathaniel Hackett to Denver last offseason as a familiar coach to help form his first Broncos staff. Things did not at all go according to plan, however, and Hackett failed to last the full season before being let go. Not long before that happened, he ceded play-calling duties to QBs coach Klint Kubiak.
However, Outten did call plays for the final two games of the season, the time in which Jerry Rosburg operated as Denver’s interim head coach. That brief stretch marked the first time the former was given such responsibilities at the pro level, as his NFL resume is relatively short compared to some other staffers around the league. Outten spent three years as Green Bay’s tight ends coach before what will likely be a one-and-done stint in Denver. He was an assistant with the Falcons in 2017 and 2018.
Despite his relative lack of experience, Outten has drawn interest in this year’s sizeable OC market. Both the Titans and Rams have requested interviews with him, although in both cases it was not specified at the time what position they were seeking to give him. Tennessee is looking for a new play-caller, but, given the news that Sean McVay is remaining in Los Angeles, the Rams are not.
In Baltimore, Outten would take on play-calling duties in the event he were to be hired at the OC level. The Ravens established themselves as a dominant run team during Roman’s tenure, but deficiencies in the pass game were prevalent both with and without Jackson in the lineup. That area is therefore expected to be a main point of focus in the team’s ultimate hire, though head coach John Harbaugh has maintained that a strong ground presence will still be relied upon moving forward. Whether Outten has a part to play in that could be revealed in the near future.
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