Ravens pass rush coach Chuck Smith on Wednesday offered an impassioned defense of coordinator Zach Orr, calling him a “special coach” whose contributions to the unit’s turnaround last season were overlooked.

Smith, speaking after practice during Wednesday’s organized team activities, was asked about Orr’s growth in his second year as defensive coordinator. He responded with a 2 1/2-minute testimonial that appeared to diminish the contributions of former senior adviser Dean Pees.

“I was hoping somebody would ask me this, because all last year, I was watching everybody broadcasting, talking — I lived it, I walked it, I seen it,” said Smith, who joined the Ravens’ defensive staff in 2023. “I watched this coordinator stand on 10 toes. Zach Orr is the guy. Zach Orr, I’m telling you, is going to be an incredible coordinator. And let me tell you why: When we were struggling last year, I watched him stand in front of these mics every week and talk to y’all. He didn’t flinch.”

The Ravens had one of the NFL’s worst pass defenses over the first half of last season. In a wild Week 10 home win over the Bengals, Cincinnati quarterback Joe Burrow threw for 428 yards and four touchdowns despite missing Tee Higgins, one of his two star wide receivers.

Orr met with the Ravens’ defense after the game, and changes to their verbiage and personnel helped spur a dramatic turnaround.

“He never let the high get high or the low get too low,” Smith said. “He stayed in the middle, and I’m telling you, he always was positive, but he was tough. He’s tough on the coaches and the players, and he would tell everybody, he would show everybody, how close we were to actually having success. Like, it might be an angle of a defensive back running to the ball or it might be a pass rusher that ran past the quarterback and the quarterback ran. Zach would stand and talk to everybody, and he led.”

In early October, after a Week 5 shootout win over the Bengals, Ravens coach John Harbaugh announced the return of Pees, who was the team’s defensive coordinator from 2012 to 2017. Pees had served as a “good sounding board and mentor” for Orr, according to Harbaugh.

On Wednesday, Smith seemed to allude to Pees, whom Harbaugh has credited for helping to “connect” the 2024 defense to earlier versions of the Ravens’ unit.

“I know last year, a lot of people, they were in the media, were saying, ‘Well, this guy came in and helped,’” Smith said. “No, no. Zach Orr did it. Zach Orr, in those rooms, with the coaches, he led. He made the changes in support with Coach Harbaugh and the guys on that staff. But Zach Orr truly led the charge. I’m a witness to it, and I’ve been wanting to say this because dude is the truth. Dude didn’t flinch. And dude is going to be one of the best coordinators in the league.

“He is smart. He is a leader. ... I wanted to set the record straight because I’m a part of it and I have no reason to come up here and B.S. y’all because you know [how] I roll. But Zach Orr was the one who changed what we did last year. And give John Harbaugh a lot of credit. He was in there with us, too. But I’ve got to give Zach most of the credit for the adjustments that happened in that secondary and also helping us coaches. He’s become like the youngest in charge. That’s what I call him. He’s a special coach, and I’m really blessed to be around a guy like that.”

With a strong 2025, Orr could be a top candidate in next season’s head coaching cycle. Pees, meanwhile, was not expected to return to a full-time role this season, according to Harbaugh, but would remain a consultant for the team. His son Matt serves as the Ravens’ assistant inside linebackers coach.