The Baltimore Ravens didn’t waste any time replacing defensive coordinator Mike Macdonald, who left the franchise on Wednesday to take the Seattle Seahawks head coach job. Just about 24 hours later, John Harbaugh promoted assistant Zach Orr to the head job on the defensive side of the ball.

“The #Ravens have named Zach Orr as their new DC, replacing Mike Macdonald. The former Ravens linebacker who retired early from playing due to a neck injury has been serving as the team’s ILBs coach and has had a fast rise,” The 33rd Team’s Ari Meirov reported on Thursday. “Just 31 years old, and now the DC in Baltimore.”

Orr played linebacker at North Texas before signing with the Ravens as an undrafted free agent in 2014. He was a standout special teams contributor in his first two seasons before starting 15 games at inside linebacker in 2015. That season, Orr made 133 tackles, six tackles for a loss, five passes defended, one forced fumble, two fumble recoveries, and three interceptions. He made second-team All-Pro that season.

Unfortunately for this budding star, Orr had to retire following his breakout campaign due to a congenital neck/spine condition.

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After officially retiring in 2017, Orr took a job as a defensive analyst for the Ravens and, in 2021, went to coach outside linebackers for the Jacksonville Jaguars. Following his single season in Duval County, Orr returned to Baltimore.

With the loss of Mike Macdonald and the elevation of Zach Orr, John Harbaugh keeps continuity on the Ravens' defensive side with this coordinator hire. This shouldn’t come as a surprise from the Baltimore franchise, as the Ravens have become the model for consistency and stability over the last decade plus.