'Hit Everything That Moves!' Ravens' New DC Zach Orr Reveals Defense's Identity

"Organized chaos," Orr said of his expectations for the defense. "Present a lot of problems to the offense. Never give the answer to the offense before the snap. But that's what I would say. Identity first thing's first is, hit everything that moves. We're going to play violent. We're going to play together, and we're going to execute."

Schematically, Orr has a blueprint he can build off of after the Ravens' defense led the league in sacks (60), was tied for first in turnovers (31) and allowed the fewest points per game (16.5). Orr was instrumental in the unit's success, as Baltimore had one of the best inside linebacker tandems in football with Roquan Smith and Patrick Queen. 

Smith was an AP first-team All-Pro for the second straight season, leading the Ravens' defense with 158 tackles, including five for a loss plus eight passes defended and 1.5 sacks. Queen was a second-team All-Pro with a career-high 133 tackles, nine of which were for a loss plus 3.5 sacks. 

Queen is among a group of key contributors on the Ravens' defense that are set to hit free agency this offseason, including defensive tackle Justin Madubuike, who led the team with 13 sacks, and safety Geno Stone, who led the team and was second in the league with seven interceptions. Given the turnover that's bound to transpire, Orr said his focus will be on self-scouting and finding ways to improve whether most of the defense returns or is replacing numerous starters. 

"You never stay the same," Orr said. "You either get better, or you get worse. Obviously, last year was a great year, and the thing we did last year was go through the process...You want to be cutting edge, always want to evolve and always want to be ready for the next thing the offense may present. So, we're going to get in the lab this offseason. We're going to look at ourselves, look at things we did well, look at how can make it even better." 

Orr has spent six of his seven years as a coach in Baltimore, with the lone year away coming in 2021 as the Jacksonville Jaguars' outside linebacker coach. Orr had a brief NFL career (2014-2016) and was on his way to becoming an anchor in the Ravens' defense, as he led the team with 132 tackles and 7.5 tackles for loss, but suffered two herniated discs in Week 16 against the Pittsburgh Steelers. The Ravens' medical team found that Orr had a congenital spine/neck condition, and he retired after the 2016 season.

While a career-ending injury would leave most players wondering what is next, the Ravens had Orr's back and gave him his start in the coaching realm as a defensive analyst in 2017. Seven years later, Orr is leading Baltimore's defense in a different capacity as he continues to skyrocket the coaching ranks. 

Given how the Ravens organization had his back, being the defensive coordinator for them means more as compared to coaching elsewhere. 

"I bleed purple and black," Orr said. "This organization means something to me. This means a little more to me. It's not just me just coaching in the National Football League, just for any other organization. No, I'm coaching for the organization that had my back. When I went through what I went through, they didn't allow me to really put my head down. I didn't know what the next step was going to be...Them doing that for me just shows that they had my back in a tough situation, so they're going to get everything I've got out of me."