Ravens Enter Jesse Minter Era as Derrick Henry Chases NFL Rushing History Ahead of Week 1 at Indianapolis
A new head coach, the same physical identity — Baltimore heads into Week 1 anchored by a future Hall-of-Fame running back closing in on NFL rushing history.
Jesse Minter takes over as Baltimore's head coach this season, with Declan Doyle running the offense and Anthony Weaver coordinating the defense — the most significant Ravens coaching change in years. Whatever else is new, the on-field identity Minter inherits is anchored by running back Derrick Henry, who enters 2026 ranked 10th all-time in career rushing yards. The 43-year-old Minter, a first-time head coach, steps into a genuinely large void: he's replacing John Harbaugh, who spent nearly two decades running the Ravens before this offseason's change, making Sunday's trip to Indianapolis the first regular-season game in a generation without Harbaugh on Baltimore's sideline. Minter himself has called the milestone real to him personally, saying, "This being the first one, it's a major milestone for me, our coaching staff and our team. It's the first time for us to go out there and the games matter and count."
Useful next steps
Jackson, 29, holds the NFL's all-time QB rushing record at 6,522 yards but missed four games in 2025 with back and hamstring injuries, finishing a disappointing QB20 overall. Henry, 32, set multiple franchise rushing records in his first two seasons in Baltimore and remains one of the league's most productive backs into his mid-30s, coming off a 2025 season in which he ran for 1,595 yards and 16 touchdowns. Jackson himself has publicly floated the idea that Henry could reach 2,000 rushing yards this season, a real show of confidence from a two-time MVP in his own backfield partner heading into a Week 1 matchup where Indianapolis counters with its own real ground-game threat in 2021 rushing champion Jonathan Taylor. Minter isn't ruling out anybody for the season opener, including defensive tackle Nnamdi Madubuike, and safety Kyle Hamilton, Jackson, and linebacker Roquan Smith have all been made available to media this week as the team finalizes its plan for Indianapolis.
"It would be crazy for me and him to play together and not win a championship."— Derrick Henry, on pairing with Lamar Jackson
Vegas isn't fully convinced the transition goes smoothly right away — one contrarian betting take flatly calls a road favorite "laying more than a field goal behind a head coach who has never run a game and a first-year play-caller... the wrong side" this week. Our take: Minter inherited a genuinely talented roster, but first-year head coaches calling their first regular-season game on the road have tripped up plenty of good rosters before, and Jackson's own health history adds a second real variable beyond just the new voice in the headset. Baltimore's front office clearly still believes the championship window is open around this core, but every new coaching staff needs real evidence on the field before that belief translates into results a division rival can actually feel.
How Baltimore's new era is taking shape
Jesse Minter is hired as Baltimore's head coach, with Declan Doyle and Anthony Weaver running the two coordinator jobs.
Minter confirms Jovaughn Gwyn will start Sunday and leaves several other Week 1 roles open.
Ravens open the regular season at the Indianapolis Colts, 1:00 p.m. ET on CBS.
New coach, same Derrick Henry — Baltimore finds out in five days whether that's enough.
Week 1 Prediction: Score, Spread & Player Prop
Ravens -3.5 on the road at Indianapolis, per Week 1 lines from ESPN and Covers.com.
47.5 total points. We lean the under with Indianapolis fielding a respectable run defense a year ago.
Derrick Henry Over 74.5 rushing yards (-115 range at most books) as Minter's staff leans on the run to ease into its first game.
Odds referenced from DraftKings, FanDuel and BetMGM lines as of this week; lines move, always confirm current odds before betting.
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Sources: Baltimore Ravens, Ebony Bird, NFL.com