Monken leaves Georgia to become Ravens’ OC

OWINGS MILLS, Md. — The Baltimore Ravens hired Georgia offensive coordinator Todd Monken as their new offensive coordinator on Tuesday, an addition that could upgrade the team’s struggling passing attack and perhaps get quarterback Lamar Jackson back on track.

Georgia turned to a familiar face in a familiar role after Monken’s departure, as the team promoted analyst Mike Bobo to offensive coordinator, the school announced Tuesday.

Monken, 57, helped guide Georgia to back-to-back national championships. His offense averaged 501.1 yards and 40.7 points per game last season.

Monken’s track record suggests he can turn around a Ravens offense that has finished ranked 22nd or worse in passing in five of the past six seasons, including 28th last year.

When Monken was an NFL offensive coordinator with Tampa Bay and then Cleveland, the Buccaneers had the NFL’s best passing attack in 2018, and Baker Mayfield threw for a career-best 3,827 yards for the Browns in 2019. In Monken’s three seasons at Georgia, the Bulldogs totaled the ninth-most passing yards and former walk-on quarterback Stetson Bennett turned into a Heisman Trophy finalist.

Ravens coach John Harbaugh chose Monken after a process that included 21 interviews with 14 candidates over a four-week span.

“Todd’s leadership and coaching acumen were evident from the beginning,” Harbaugh said in a statement. “He has a proven track record for designing and teaching offensive systems that allow players to succeed at the highest level. We’re excited to get to work and begin building an offense that will help us compete for championships.”

Monken also interviewed for the Buccaneers’ offensive coordinator position this offseason.

His experience has primarily focused on coaching wide receivers and quarterbacks. From 2013 to 2015, he was the head coach at Southern Miss, where he was 13-26 (.333).

Monken then spent four seasons an offensive coordinator for the Buccaneers (2016 to 2018) and Browns (2019). In 2018, Monken helped the Buccaneers set team single-season records in total yards (6,648), passing yards (5,358) and touchdown passes (36) with Jameis Winston and Ryan Fitzpatrick as his quarterbacks.

Monken is the seventh offensive coordinator under coach John Harbaugh, who is entering his 16th season in Baltimore. Monken’s hiring comes 26 days after Greg Roman stepped down as Baltimore’s offensive coordinator.

Roman’s downfall was not developing a consistent passing attack with the Ravens, who produced the second-fewest passing yards in the league during his four seasons as playcaller. Jackson has failed to improve as a passer, totaling 33 touchdown passes and 20 interceptions over the past two seasons.

Monken’s arrival comes at a time when the future of quarterback Jackson is uncertain. The Ravens are expected to place the franchise tag on Jackson if the sides can’t reach a long-term deal by March 7.

This marks the second straight year that Harbaugh has filled a coordinator position with a college coach. Last year, Harbaugh hired Michigan’s Mike Macdonald to become his defensive coordinator.

Bobo, a former Bulldogs quarterback, served as the team’s offensive coordinator from 2007 to 2014 under coach Mark Richt. He was Colorado State’s head coach from 2015 to 2019, going 28-35, before returning to the SEC as South Carolina’s offensive coordinator in 2020. Bobo spent the 2021 season as Auburn’s offensive coordinator before returning to his alma mater as an analyst last fall.

Georgia coach Kirby Smart and Bobo were teammates at the school from 1995 to 1997, and Bobo set several team passing records and finished with 6,334 career passing yards. As Georgia’s offensive coordinator, Bobo worked with quarterbacks such as Matthew Stafford and Aaron Murray. In 2012, he was a finalist for the Broyles Award, which goes to the nation’s top assistant. Georgia won 135 games and two SEC championships during Bobo’s time as coordinator.

ESPN’s Adam Rittenberg contributed to this report.