Ravens GM DeCosta initiates roster overhaul with key cuts
Ravens general manager Eric DeCosta has already started making some of the tough decisions he believes can help Baltimore negotiate the leap from playoff qualifier to Super Bowl champion.
The Canadian Press Morgan Cox , The Canadian Press
Ravens general manager Eric DeCosta has already started making some of the tough decisions he believes can help Baltimore negotiate the leap from playoff qualifier to Super Bowl champion.
After releasing running back Mark Ingram and quarterback Robert Griffin III last week, DeCosta announced Monday that the Ravens won t re-sign All-Pro long snapper Morgan Cox. The 34-year-old Cox was the initial component of a highly successful placekicking unit that includes holder Sam Koch and second-team All-Pro Justin Tucker, the most accurate field-goal kicker in NFL history.
Baltimore Ravens add a DBs coach, say bye to long snapper and more
Updated Jan 25, 2021;
Posted Jan 25, 2021
Baltimore Ravens long snapper Morgan Cox (46) looks on during the second half of an NFL football game against the Jacksonville Jaguars, Sunday, Dec. 20, 2020, in Baltimore. (AP Photo/Terrance Williams)AP
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The Baltimore Ravens on Sunday announced they hired D’Anton Lynn as a defensive backs coach, filling out their staff after several departures earlier in the week.
Lynn’s father, Anthony, spent the past several seasons as the Los Angeles Chargers’ head coach. The younger Lynn is a 31-year-old with seven years of NFL coaching experience who played cornerback at Penn State from 2008 to ’11.
Takeaways from Baltimore Ravens GM Eric DeCosta’s press conference
Updated Jan 25, 2021;
Posted Jan 25, 2021
Baltimore Ravens general manager Eric DeCosta leaves the field following rookie camp in Owings Mills, Md. on May 4, 2019
Joe Hermitt | jhermitt@pennlive.com
Facebook Share general manager Eric DeCosta answered questions from reporters Monday for about 50 minutes during his first news conference since April. He looked back at the 2020 season and touched on some of the decisions he’ll face in the coming weeks as the franchise aims to improve after a divisional round playoff exit. Here are a few takeaways.
Don’t expect deep philosophical changes
LS Morgan Cox
The Ravens have parted ways with 11-year long snapper Morgan Cox, General Manager Eric DeCosta confirmed Monday, and it feels like a breakup that ends with a long hug and tears.
Few (if any) are better than Cox at the unheralded job. Cox was one-third of the Ravens Wolfpack and the place where the operation started, time and time again, without a hitch. Without Cox s almost always on-time and accurate snaps, Justin Tucker wouldn t be the most accurate kicker in NFL history and Sam Koch wouldn t be one of the league s best punters.
Cox got the call from DeCosta last Monday, a couple days after the Ravens playoff exit. He drove to the Under Armour Performance Center speak with Head Coach John Harbaugh and said goodbye to Ravens staff members. Cox then went to meet Special Teams Coordinator Chris Horton, who was celebrating his daughter s birthday. After that, Cox drove to Tucker and Koch s homes to tell them the news.
“It’s almost the circle of life at times, and you have to continue to get younger as a team,” DeCosta said. “Although it was very, very difficult to move on from Morgan, it was probably something we needed to do long term. Things change. Unfortunately, it’s a tough part of this business.”
Since taking over for long-time GM Ozzie Newsome, DeCosta has built playoff teams in each of his two years on the job. This season, the Ravens went 11-5 and beat Tennessee in the opening round before losing at Buffalo.
“It was not the end result we wanted,” DeCosta acknowledged. “We’ve all got to do a better job if we really want to take this thing to the next level, which means playing in the Super Bowl. That’s our goal, that’s our challenge.”