On Tuesday, the Baltimore Ravens relieved John Harbaugh of his duties. The 18-year head coach, who helped bring a Super Bowl to the franchise, fell out of favor with the team. While Harbaugh is still considered a good coach, the Pittsburgh Steelers might not be prepared for what could come next.
In the wake of Harbaugh's departure from the team, the Ravens have requested to interview Minnesota Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores. This stings a bit, as Flores was a former senior defensive assistant with the Steelers, and many believe Mike Tomlin should have promoted him to defensive coordinator instead of letting the Vikings poach him during the 2023 offseason.
But the Ravens have a chance to double the pain for the Steelers.
In addition to interviewing Flores, Baltimore could be looking at Mike McDaniel. The Miami Dolphins announced on Thursday that they are moving on from the head coach after four seasons. Now speculation is already starting to ramp up that an elite defensive-minded and offensive-minded coach could team up on the Ravens.
The Pittsburgh Steelers could be forced to deal with a daunting coaching pairing on the Baltimore Ravens
While we've yet to hear about a McDaniel interview with the Ravens, a combination of Flores as head coach and McDaniel as offensive coordinator would make a lethal pairing in Baltimore... and one that the Steelers should fear.
When an aggressive, young defensive play-caller is paired with an equally aggressive, young offensive play-caller, good things tend to happen. We witnessed this with the Seattle Seahawks in 2025.
Former Ravens defensive coordinator Mike Macdonald (not to be confused with Mike McDaniel) has done a brilliant job with the Seahawks' defense since taking the head coaching job in 2024. Meanwhile, the offensive coordinator he hired, Klint Kubiak, led Seattle to a spectacular and efficient offense in 2025. This elite one-two coaching punch aided the Seahawks to a 14-3 record, while most metrics show this is the top team in the NFL.
The fear is that the same could happen if Flores and McDaniel get together in Baltimore.
Flores is coming off a season in which the Vikings finished with the third-ranked defense in the NFL. Meanwhile, McDaniel is just two years removed from an offense that ranked first in yards gained and second in points scored.
In one fell swoop, the Ravens could get younger, more aggressive, and more innovative by going from John Harbaugh and Todd Monkin (who have an average age of 61) to Brian Flores and Mike McDaniel (who have an average age of 43).
The last thing Pittsburgh Steelers fans should be rooting for is an elite defensive and offensive coaching pairing making their way to the Baltimore Ravens. If Mike Tomlin thought it was hard to win the AFC North before, Flores and McDaniel would make it even harder. Let's hope the Ravens decide to take the team in a different direction.