Ravens hire Dolphins DC Anthony Weaver for same role, reports say
The Miami Dolphins defensive coordinator is headed home.
Anthony Weaver, who played for the Baltimore Ravens from 2002 to 2005, will return to the team that drafted him to coach the defense, according to multiple reports. Weaver, however, won’t call plays as that role will fall to newly minted head coach Jesse Minter.
This comes roughly 24 hours after Dolphins coach Jeff Hafley hired Green Bay Packers linebacker coach Sean Duggan as defensive coordinator.
A beloved presence in Miami over the last two seasons, Weaver has received head coach interviews during the last three hiring cycles.
“Coach Weaver is the defensive coordinator you want to play for,” said linebacker Jordyn Brooks, who had arguably his best seasons in 2025. “Just the type of man he is, his presence commands respect. It’s easy to play for him. And the defense he has behind us, when we’re rolling and clicking the way we should, it’s a great system. I’m fortunate to be in it and to be playing under him.”
The Dolphins initially hired Weaver from the Ravens in 2024 after he had spent the previous the last three seasons in Baltimore holding various roles including defensive line coach, run game coordinator and associate head coach. Weaver’s hiring had immediate impact — not only did the players love him, his unit ranked within the top-10 in several categories including total defense (five), passing defense (nine) and red zone defense (four). The rub: his defense only had one Pro Bowler in cornerback Jalen Ramsey.
In 2025, the defense seemingly took a major step back. Against the run, they ranked 26th. Against the pass, they ranked 18th. And in the red zone, they ranked 23rd.
This, however, is largely due to roster turnover and the Dolphins’ heavy reliance on youth. Within a year, the Dolphins returned less than half of their defensive starters. Then, they tried to replace Calais Campbell with a trio of rookies. The result: the up-and-down performance that saw the defense bottle up reigning MVP Josh Allen but also give up 27 points to the Carolina Panthers.
Still, Weaver managed to inspire his unit on several occasions, including his call for violence ahead of their first win, a 27-21 victory over the New York Jets.
“I’m a nice guy,” Weaver said. “I smile, I do all those things, but all of our problems that we need to solve can be solved through violence. Yeah, they want to legislate it out of the game, but we play defensive football. Defensive football at some point you draw a line in the sand and you say, ‘I’m going to set the edge. I’m going to stick my helmet under this guy’s chin, and I’m going to set the edge. I’m going to violently take the ball away.’”
The Ravens drafted Weaver in the second round of thee 2002 NFL Draft. During his four seasons in Baltimore, the defensive end registered 14.5 sacks, five forced fumbles and 23 tackles for loss. Weaver also decided what he wanted to do after retirement while with the Ravens.
“I knew the work that was involved in getting us to Sunday,” Weaver said in 2021. “I knew how much [coaches] put into it. Back then, at 21, I didn’t know that I was willing to do that. As I matured and got older, I realized that I can. I love it too much. I love the grind of it, I love the struggle, the camaraderie. I love the teamwork. When you bring all those things together, and you’ve got the right group of people doing it, you have an opportunity to do something really special.”
After Baltimore, Weaver played the following three seasons with the Houston Texans before he decided to hang up his cleats in 2008. By 2010, he was a graduate assistant with the University Florida. One more year in the collegiate ranks at North Texas as a linebackers coach gave way to a career in the NFL that began with the New York Jets in 2012.
Since then, Weaver has worked for the Buffalo Bills, Cleveland Browns and Texans before he finally found his way back to Baltimore the first time.
Now, Weaver will once again be back with the Ravens, this time with some unique, veteran talent including safety Kyle Hamilton, linebacker Roquan Smith and defensive tackle Nnamdi Madubuike.
This story was originally published February 2, 2026 at 3:02 PM.
