FRISCO, Texas — Dallas Cowboys coach Brian Schottenheimer said Thursday at The Star that first-year Baltimore Ravens coach Jesse Minter made good second-half adjustments against Dallas last season, when Minter was the Los Angeles Chargers’ defensive coordinator.
The Chargers beat the Cowboys 34-17 on Dec. 21, 2025, at AT&T Stadium. Dallas scored 17 points in the first half and none after halftime.
Minter spent 2017 through 2020 on Baltimore’s defensive staff. He coordinated Michigan’s defense in 2022 and 2023 before his two seasons with the Chargers.
“Well, the fact that he’s been there before, under Mike Macdonald, the ties to Michigan and all that stuff,” Schottenheimer said. “I mean, I think he’s awesome, creative mind. He has a conviction about what he wants to be. He made some really good adjustments last year in the second half, I thought, against us, which again, that’s what coaching is about, right? Making adjustments. We can all go in with plans. Plans change quickly.”
“But I do think that a big part of him being back there is his ability to continue the tradition of Baltimore playing great defense,” Schottenheimer continued. “I mean, you go back to Ray Lewis and Ed Reed and Siragusa and all those guys. I mean, Baltimore has traditionally always played good defense, and they’re no different now. The names have changed, Hamilton and Roquan Smith and Marlon Humphrey and Calais Campbell, but they still play great defense, and I think he’s a great complement for what they already have on offense.”
Jesse Minter Takes Over Baltimore Ravens After John Harbaugh
Baltimore hired Minter on Jan. 22. He is the fourth head coach in franchise history. John Harbaugh was fired on Jan. 6 after 18 seasons.
The Chargers finished fifth in total defense in 2025, allowing 285.2 yards per game. In Minter’s first season with Los Angeles, the Chargers went from 24th to first in points allowed.
Schottenheimer said Wednesday that Baltimore safety Kyle Hamilton may be the best defensive back in pro football. The Ravens are 1-1 after a 41-23 win over Indianapolis and a 24-17 loss to New Orleans.
Brian Schottenheimer On Roquan Smith’s Georgia Commitment
Schottenheimer spent the 2014 season as Georgia’s offensive coordinator, his one year coaching in college. Roquan Smith first committed to UCLA and played at Georgia from 2015 to 2017.
“Violence, physicality, interesting story,” Schottenheimer explained. “He was committed to us at Georgia when I was there. My cup of coffee I had at Georgia in college. And you just remember talking about the young man and how much he loves football. I mean, he just loves football. He’s a film junkie. He studies, a great communicator. And the violence and physicality he plays with is real.”
The Chicago Bears drafted Smith eighth overall in 2018 and traded him to Baltimore in 2022. He was a first-team All-Pro three straight seasons from 2022 to 2024, won the Butkus Award in 2022 and 2023, and has been to four Pro Bowls.
Kickoff at Maracanã Stadium is 3:25 p.m. CT Sunday on CBS.
