After rumors about his job security and grumblings from players following their playoff exit, Greg Roman announced he has decided to step down as the offensive coordinator of the Baltimore Ravens Thursday.
"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.
That new opportunity might be right down 295 as Ron Rivera's new offensive coordinator for the Washington Commanders.
Think about it, during his time in Baltimore, Roman's offense set an NFL record for rushing yards in a season (3,216 in 2019) and average time of possession (34:47 in 2019), most games in a season with over 200 yards rushing (six in 2020), and the most consecutive games with over 100 yards rushing (a 43 game stretch from 2019-21).
Does that not sound like music to Rivera's ears? Don't you think that's why those stats were included in the statement announcing Roman's resignation?
Rivera admitted in his end-of-season press conference it is a “philosophical belief” to be a run-first team and argued that Washington must “control the tempo of the game” to win.
General manager Martin Mayhew added that the Commanders' ideal “formula” was a 2-to-1 run-pass ratio: “For every time that we threw the ball, we ran the ball twice. That's how we want to play.”
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Of course, Roman's resignation likely preempted his expected dismissal. His time in Baltimore was marked by his inability to complement the run game with a consistent passing game and he struggled with play-calling in the red zone. In 2022, the Ravens finished 30th in the red zone offense and were 19th in points per game with 20.6.
However, quarterback Lamar Jackson, who won the MVP in Roman's first year as OC, ended the season on the sidelines due to injuries in each of the last two seasons. And in games with Roman calling plays and Jackson as the starter, Baltimore went 45-16.
The Ravens were also unable to find any consistency at the wide receiver position. Turning to late-round picks, aging veterans found off the waiver wire, and high draft picks – Rashod Bateman and Marquise Brown – struggled with injuries. All of which is to say, the faltering passing game may not have been entirely the fault of the OC.
And Baltimore lost all three of their top running backs in preseason hampering the 2021 rushing attack and top back JK Dobbins – who was critical of Roman's play calling in the Ravens' playoff loss – played just eight games in 2022 and never seemed fully healthy.
But, despite all of that, Roman and the Ravens managed to make the playoffs in three of his four seasons calling plays.
Overall, if Rivera and Mayhew want to hand the keys of the offense to an offensive coordinator with experience designing inventive run plays and who has demonstrated a commitment to running the ball and playing a clock-control offense, Roman's phone is likely already ringing. And the Caller ID says it is an Ashburn area code.
Follow @BenKrimmel and @Team980 for more.
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