After one of the most disappointing starts in franchise history, the Ravens’ defense went in search of new answers this week. It could get them from an old friend.

Dean Pees, who won a Super Bowl as the Ravens’ defensive coordinator from 2012 to 2017, was back at practice in Owings Mills on Wednesday, serving as a senior adviser under first-year defensive coordinator Zach Orr. His hiring was announced just three days after the Ravens allowed the third-most passing yards by any team in an NFL game this season and four days before Sunday’s showdown against the Washington Commanders, who lead the NFL in scoring.

“I’m really excited about it,” said coach John Harbaugh, who hired Pees as his inside linebackers coach in 2010 before promoting him to coordinator in 2012. “Zach has been in touch with Dean, really, all the time. He’s been kind of a good sounding board and mentor for Zach. I know they’re very close. Dean and I go back, as you guys know, a long, long way. His football knowledge, and his ability to just put an eye on things and be a great sounding board and a backup for everybody, is super good. I’m glad he’s here. It’s good to see his face out here, and it can make us better, so I’m happy about that.”

Pees, 75, will work with the Ravens’ defense during practices and meetings and will have a role on game days. He last served as the Atlanta Falcons’ defensive coordinator from 2021 to 2022 before retiring from football for the third time. (He first retired after the Ravens’ 2017 season, and then again in 2020, after two seasons as the Tennessee Titans’ defensive coordinator.)

Orr, who played under Pees for three seasons in Baltimore, was promoted from inside linebackers coach to defensive coordinator in February after Mike Macdonald was hired as the Seattle Seahawks’ head coach. Defensive line coach Anthony Weaver and defensive backs coach Dennard Wilson also left last offseason for defensive coordinator positions with the Miami Dolphins and Tennessee Titans, respectively.

That brain drain has undercut a defense that was perhaps the NFL’s best last year. Although the Ravens’ run defense has dominated this season, their highly touted secondary has struggled mightily. Cincinnati Bengals star Joe Burrow finished with 392 passing yards and five touchdowns in Sunday’s overtime loss, the fourth quarterback to pass for at least 275 yards against the Ravens in 2024.

Back-end breakdowns have bedeviled the Ravens. Last year, opposing quarterbacks averaged an NFL-low 5.9 yards per pass attempt against them and the their pass defense finished the regular season with the league’s second-highest coverage grade, according to Pro Football Focus. This year, the Ravens are allowing 8.1 yards per pass attempt, tied for third most in the NFL, and they have the 10th-worst coverage grade.

“Most of our problems are nothing structural; it’s just fundamental stuff,” safety Kyle Hamilton said Wednesday. “We have to tackle, we have to get off blocks, we have to communicate, and we’ve been saying this for five weeks now, so it’s time to start actually doing it, not coming up here and just saying it.”

The Falcons’ pass defense struggled in Pees’ two seasons in Atlanta, ranking 27th and 31st in efficiency, according to FTN. But his work in Baltimore, especially with “creepers” and simulated pressures, helped establish a foundation for Ravens defenses that coordinators Don “Wink” Martindale and Macdonald later iterated upon.

Orr, who entered the season without any play-calling experience, has struggled to build on Macdonald’s success. The Ravens are allowing 27.4 points per game, the second-highest average of any Ravens team through a season’s first five games since 2000, according to TruMedia. They’re also giving up 280.2 passing yards per game, the third most of any Ravens defense in that span, despite having a secondary flush with talent.

“We’re kind of confronting everything right now, and I think that’s a great part of our organization and our defense,” Hamilton said. “There are no egos. Z.O. [Orr] could have easily been like, ‘No, we’re going to fix it in house,’ but to be humble enough and be willing to bring somebody in who knows what they’re doing ... it’s good to have him [Pees] here. It’s just another set of eyes. It’s not like he’s going to come in and start calling the defense, but he’s somebody who’s seen a lot of ball. It just helps us out a little bit.”

There’s a chance things get worse before they get better for Orr, who’s scheduled to talk to reporters Thursday. Pees’ arrival comes as the Ravens prepare to stop Commanders rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels, who leads the NFL in completion percentage (77.1%). Washington is averaging an NFL-high 31 points per game and has scored at least 34 in each of its past three games, wins over the Bengals, Arizona Cardinals and Cleveland Browns. Top Ravens cornerback Marlon Humphrey also missed Wednesday’s practice with an ankle injury.

Whatever wisdom Pees can impart to the defense will have to be processed quickly. Some Ravens players met him for the first time Wednesday.

“I’m looking forward to gaining some knowledge from him, seeing what he sees from a bigger-picture standpoint,” cornerback Brandon Stephens said. “But I’m sure there’s a lot that we can learn from him. We’re not shying away from areas that we can improve on, and I think it’s really just all hands on deck. Obviously, he was here before, so he kind of knows the system. But I think it’s a testament to — we’re trying to make it right, and make it right quick. And whoever can help us get to where we need to, even the smallest bit, we’re going to bring them in.”