INDIANAPOLIS — Baltimore Ravens coach John Harbaugh, former boss of Anthony Weaver, has gone on record as saying the new Dolphins defensive coordinator will be a head coach in the NFL someday.

Tuesday, Harbaugh talked about what Weaver is today.

“Anthony is just an absolute star,” Harbaugh said during his media session at the NFL Combine.

Weaver takes over for the departed Vic Fangio and is another of the pipeline of coaches who once worked under Harbaugh. The Dolphins had a strong defense in 2023, at one point ranking fourth in the NFL before finishing 10th, but the Ravens once again led the league, with Weaver serving as assistant head coach and defensive line coach.

Now, Mike McDaniel hopes Weaver can bring some of that Ravens toughness to Miami.

“We know him really well,” Harbaugh said. “You see him, he lights up a room. He fills up a room, too, fills up and lights up a room, right?”

(Weaver spent seven seasons in the NFL as a 6-foot-3 defensive end, although he’s not the 290-pounder he once was.)

“The way he treats people, the way he responds to problems and problem-solving type of things, the way he coaches the guys, the way he presents, his understanding of defenses, generally, is really good — a high, high level,” Harbaugh said. “But also, the way he manages players and coaches and works with the people. I just think he's a great leader and he's going to do a great job, whatever he does.”

During his introductory news conference with Dolphins reporters, Weaver included Harbaugh as one of the coaches with the greatest impact on his career.

“In my short, three years with him, I just saw how he walked in and operated and constantly kept the pulse of the team,” Weaver said. “And when he got up and addressed the team, he always had something particular in mind and was very direct.”

Harbaugh is happy to see another of his proteges take a step up, although he thought it could have been as a head coach in this hiring cycle.

“Some people are going to look back and they’re going to say, ‘We had a chance to hire Anthony Weaver,’ ” Harbaugh said earlier this month.

Harbaugh isn't the only one in the Ravens' organization to be bullish on Weaver. General manager Eric DeCosta has known Weaver on multiple levels. DeCosta was Midwest scout for the Ravens when they drafted him in the second round out of Notre Dame in 2002, one round after they took Hall of Famer Ed Reed.

DeCosta listed the qualities in Weaver he respects: "His ability as a leader, his mentality — his grinder mentality — the way that he carries himself every day, his work ethic and the way that he would relate to the players."

DeCosta also thinks the Dolphins will be fortunate to have Weaver for whatever time he's in Miami.

"I feel that he’s going to be a head coach someday," DeCosta said. "I mean, it’s right there for him. He’s going to do a remarkable job, I think, down in Miami. The players are going to love him, the community is going to love him. That defense is going to be fast and furious, and I think he’ll be a head coach before you know it.”

Dolphins reporter Hal Habib can be reached at  hhabib@pbpost.com. Follow him on social media @gunnerhal. Click here to subscribe.

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Miami Dolphins' Anthony Weaver praised by former boss John Harbaugh