The Baltimore Ravens put themselves in the spotlight by firing John Harbaugh.
Now, they need to get their head coaching hire right. They've got a talented roster, led by superstar quarterback Lamar Jackson. They can't afford to take any steps backward.
It's a high-profile head-coaching cycle, with the likes of Kevin Stefanski and Mike McDaniel also out there alongside Harbaugh.
In the end, ESPN's Dan Graziano predicts the Ravens will hire Stefanski.
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Stefanski spent the last six seasons as the head coach of the Cleveland Browns before being cut loose.
"The Ravens know Stefanski from having played against his Browns teams for the past six years (Baltimore was 8-4 against Stefanski-coached Cleveland teams), and Stefanski is a popular candidate on this circuit," Graziano writes. "He's a mid-Atlantic, East Coast guy who would fit in a place like here or New York. Having Lamar Jackson and a winning culture in place makes Baltimore the most appealing landing spot among the current openings. Stefanski had 13 different starting QBs in Cleveland, but he would get a true franchise passer in Jackson in Baltimore."
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It was very telling that from the moment Stefanski was let go by the Browns, he was one of the leading candidates to get a new job.
Clearly, the rest of the NFL didn't feel that Cleveland's struggles were Stefanski's fault.
In general, he's a well-respected leader and offensive mind. The chance to work with Jackson would likely be something that fires him up.
He'd also get the chance to get a bit of revenge on his former team this way, if that's something that's on his mind at all.
Because the Ravens have Jackson, they're an appealing gig for a coach ready to do some winning. Stefanski would surely sign up for that.
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