To Quit Orr Not!

Zach Orr signed with the Baltimore Ravens in 2014 as an undrafted free agent out of the University of North Texas. Orr was overlooked in the draft due to measurables. He was undersized; not particularly strong for a linebacker (14 bench press reps); his shuttle time of 4.41 was a tad below average and his 4.73 40-yard dash time was also slightly below the norm. Not a single measurable stood out.

But “heart” isn’t among the measurables.

Orr made the Ravens final 53-man roster in 2014, another in an impressive list of undrafted players to do the same in Baltimore. During his first two seasons, Zach had a total of 30 tackles at ILB. By his third season, Orr racked up 133 tackles in 2016 alone, and was named to the All-Pro team.

Zach’s trajectory as a player was meteoric, driven by determination and preparedness. He ignored those who doubted him. He fought through adversity and by the time his third season was complete, Orr was knocking on the door of greatness and had positioned himself for a healthy contract extension. A press conference was scheduled in January of 2017 and one NFL Insider speculated that its intent was to announce the signing of said extension.

Hearing Ravens made considerable progress with LB Zach Orr on a new contract. They have a press conference scheduled for Fri. May be related

— Jason La Canfora (@JasonLaCanfora) January 20, 2017

But that’s not how things played out for Orr. Unfortunately, the presser was to announce the extreme opposite – Orr’s retirement, due to a congenital back/spine condition that could trigger paralysis or even death.

Zach took the devastating news in stride and sought additional medical opinions hoping to land on one that would provide hope, to allow him to continue a promising playing career. That opinion never came. But the reality of the situation never diminished Orr’s love for the game. His resolve remained unwavering, eventually pouring his passion into coaching.

From 2017 to 2020 Orr was a defensive analyst for the Ravens. In 2021 he was hired by the Jacksonville Jaguars as an outside linebackers coach. After one season in Jacksonville, he came back home to be the Ravens inside linebackers coach. And now he is the team’s defensive coordinator.

In accepting the position, Orr knew that there would be many challenges. He had never been a play caller during his coaching career. He was accepting responsibility for a defense that had lost a significant level of experience and competency in its coaching ranks. And, the defense would have to overcome the departures of Jadeveon Clowney, Patrick Queen and Geno Stone.

Things didn’t start out well for Orr. The Ravens organization, long known for defensive excellence, suddenly fielded a defense that was not only among the franchise’s worst ever for the first half of the season, they were also one of the league’s most generous units giving up chunk plays and featuring 4th quarter meltdowns. But Orr has never been scared off by a challenge; never intimidated by mounting adversity. 2024 would be no different.

The Ravens recently made a couple of changes to the lineup, the key one being the sacking of Marcus Williams as the team’s starting free safety. Today, things are looking up. What was the NFL’s worst pass defense through 10 weeks yielding 294.9 yards per game has given up just 495 yards over the course of their past three contests – 165 yards per game. To put that in perspective, the league’s top-ranked pass defense through Week 13, the Titans, has given up 169.6 YPG by air.

That’s marked improvement.

That’s fighting through adversity – again.

That’s something for the Ravens to build upon during the final four-game homestretch of the 2024 season.

Zach Orr is our Week 13, unsung hero, aka, the Big Crab Cake presented by Jimmy’s Famous Seafood.

[Related Article: Ravens Get Punched in the Mouth]

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