Taggart hired to coach running backs

Martin will oversee QBs; strength coach Saunders out

The Ravens are reorganizing their offensive staff under new coordinator Todd Monken, adding former Florida Atlantic, Oregon and Florida State head coach Willie Taggart as their running backs coach and moving Tee Martin from wide receivers coach to quarterbacks coach.

They’re also parting ways with strength and conditioning coach Steve Saunders, who was suspended for a month in 2020 after sources said he was caught not wearing a proximity tracker or mask as required by the NFL’s COVID-19 protocols. Scott Elliott, an assistant on Saunders’ staff the past two years, will replace him.

Saunders had worked with the team since 2016 and was a target of fans’ ire when the Ravens were decimated by injuries throughout the 2021 season. Coach John Harbaugh was an outspoken proponent for Saunders, however, saying in March 2021: “I think Steve is on the cutting edge … and, really, the results speak for themselves, when you look at how far we’ve come in the last five years with injury prevention.”

In a statement Wednesday, Harbaugh called Saunders “one of the finest strength and conditioning coaches in the business. His methods, passion and commitment are well proven throughout his career. Steve helped our players be the strongest and best conditioned athletes they could be.”

With the hiring of Taggart and Martin’s move, James Urban and Craig Ver Steeg could shift to different roles, though the team is still working through that aspect of the staff shake-up. Urban had worked closely with Lamar Jackson as the Ravens’ quarterbacks coach since 2018, helping him develop from the last pick in the first round to the NFL’s Most Valuable Player in his second season. Ver Steeg was running backs coach in 2021 and 2022, when the Ravens finished third and second in rushing, respectively, under previous offensive coordinator Greg Roman.

Martin, who quarterbacked Tennessee to a national championship in 1998, came to the Ravens in 2021 after successful stints at his alma mater and at USC, where he helped develop a string of future NFL wide receivers. His time in Baltimore has been more frustrating. The Ravens traded their most productive wide receiver, Marquise Brown, last offseason, and injuries have cost 2021 first-round pick Rashod Bateman significant stretches of his two seasons with Martin.

Regardless, Martin, 44, was a candidate to fill the Indianapolis Colts’ offensive coordinator opening this offseason and could now become a vital resource for Jackson if the Ravens sign their quarterback to an extension or use the franchise tag to keep him in Baltimore in 2023.

“I am excited for Tee to take on the responsibility of being our quarterbacks coach,” Harbaugh said in a statement. “Tee has coached every aspect of the passing game and has played and coached the quarterback position at the highest levels. A dynamic and dedicated coach, he is a high-character individual who is uniquely qualified to build upon the foundation and success of our quarterbacks.”

Taggart, 46, has a long history with Harbaugh’s family. He played quarterback and coached for Harbaugh’s father, Jack, at Western Kentucky and then served as quarterbacks coach for Jim Harbaugh, John’s brother, at Stanford from 2007 to 2009. From there, he returned to Western Kentucky as head coach. He jumped to South Florida in 2013, Oregon in 2017, and Florida State in 2018. He was fired in Nov. 2019 after going 9-12 with the Seminoles but resurfaced at Florida Atlantic in 2020, going 15-18 in three seasons there.

“Willie has been a highly successful and respected college assistant and head coach,” Harbaugh said in a statement. “He has a proven track record for developing players as a position coach, as an offensive coordinator and as a head coach. A leader and a highly effective motivator, Willie’s reputation for building strong relationships with his players and fellow coaches will serve our offense well moving forward.”

Monken described his offensive staff as “still a work in progress” Tuesday at his introductory news conference.