ExtremeRavens Posted Friday at 09:57 PM Posted Friday at 09:57 PM The Ravens are hiring Declan Doyle to be their next offensive coordinator. The 29-year-old spent the 2025 season as the Chicago Bears’ offensive coordinator, but he wasn’t the team’s play-caller. He’ll join Baltimore and call plays for quarterback Lamar Jackson in 2026, taking over the job previously held by new Browns coach Todd Monken. Here’s what The Baltimore Sun’s sports staff has to say about the addition to Jesse Minter’s inaugural coaching staff: Brian Wacker, reporter The youth movement is on in Baltimore. First, it was 42-year-old Jesse Minter, who is a first-time head coach and checks in five years younger than what was the average age of NFL head coaches at the start of the 2025 season. Now, here comes 29-year-old Declan Doyle, the youngest offensive coordinator in the NFL. He had the same role with the Chicago Bears, but was never going to be calling plays as long as head coach Ben Johnson is there. Doyle is also the same age as Lamar Jackson, so the Ravens’ newest play-caller should have no problem connecting with the quarterback, something that Minter made a point to say is an important characteristic for his assistants as he puts together a staff. In addition to Doyle’s work with helping transform Chicago’s Caleb Williams into a nearly 4,000-yard passer with 27 touchdown passes and seven interceptions this season, he also worked under Sean Payton both in Denver and with the New Orleans Saints. That’s a pretty good tree to come from in terms of offense, particularly for the first-time play-caller who also has ties to the University of Iowa. Now it will be up to Doyle to help deliver on Minter’s goal of elevating Jackson to the “best version of himself” while also keeping him on schedule and taking some of the pressure to do everything off the two-time NFL Most Valuable Player. Sam Cohn, reporter It’s a bit surprising that Minter’s offensive coordinator hire — the person responsible for maximizing Lamar Jackson and looking after what was once the most potent offense in football before backsliding in 2025 — would be someone who didn’t call plays at their previous stop. Doyle, 29, is the youngest OC in the league and has just seven years of NFL coaching experience. Ben Johnson called plays in Chicago, but that’s not a bad coach to learn from. For Minter, that clearly wasn’t disqualifying with this youth-movement hire. Doyle still played a major role in resurrecting the Bears’ offense from the bottom of the league to near the top. He helped Caleb Williams enjoy a breakout Year 2. And Minter made it clear that he was looking for both “schematic expertise” and a “relationship builder.” It’s just funny that the 29-year-old Doyle and Jackson are the same age. Josh Tolentino, columnist Jesse Minter hinted he was in the final stages of hiring his coordinators Thursday during his introductory news conference. Just over 24 hours later, Minter and the Ravens made a splash by bringing in 29-year-old offensive coordinator Declan Doyle. Doyle will be a first-time NFL play-caller, a reality the Ravens clearly embraced as they reshaped their staff around Minter. His age stands out as the youngest coordinator in the league; he’s the same age as franchise quarterback Lamar Jackson. After overseeing second-year quarterback Caleb Williams in Chicago, Doyle is now tasked with helping a two-time NFL MVP return to his dominant form. Doyle worked closely in game planning and player development under Bears coach Ben Johnson, and he also boasts five years of experience working underneath Sean Payton in New Orleans and Denver. During his time with the Saints, Doyle also overlapped with current Lions coach Dan Campbell. Notably, Baltimore wasn’t the only team after Doyle’s services. The reigning Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles requested permission to interview him for their previous offensive coordinator vacancy before Doyle withdrew his name this week from consideration, signaling that he was selective, and that the Ravens were not alone in viewing him as a rising offensive mind. Doyle arrives in Baltimore already with the backing of three-time Pro Bowl center Tyler Linderbaum, an important relationship that could play a significant role in Linderbaum signing a contract extension this offseason with the Ravens. Linderbaum, an Iowa native like Doyle, attended the University of Iowa, where Doyle’s father Chris was a longtime strength and conditioning coach. That type of support should help in a locker room that just said goodbye to 59-year-old Todd Monken. C.J. Doon, editor On the surface, this is an exciting hire for Baltimore given the unknown possibilities. At just 29 years old, Doyle has his whole career ahead of him and provides a little more juice than a retread coordinator such as Kliff Kingsbury. But that’s also what makes this move a little worrisome. All we have to learn from is Doyle’s experience in Chicago as the OC under Ben Johnson, who is widely regarded as one of the best offensive minds in the game. How much credit does Doyle deserve for his work with Caleb Williams in helping Chicago become an NFC contender this past season? The Iowa native is now stepping into a bright spotlight as the play-caller for Lamar Jackson. Fans will expect immediate results from an offense that has been near the top of league when Jackson is healthy. How will Doyle handle that kind of pressure? New coach Jesse Minter deserves credit for trusting in a young assistant for such a big role. We’ll see if it pays off. Bennett Conlin, editor I like the Ravens’ thought process of hiring a rising star with experience working under Sean Payton and Ben Johnson. While he’s yet to call plays, Doyle is highly regarded by both Payton and Johnson, and he helped design game plans for a much-improved Chicago offense in 2025. There’s no doubting his schematic background, but my No. 1 concern is how he’ll lead a unit with so much star power. It’s one thing to call plays, but it’s another to command respect from Derrick Henry, Lamar Jackson, Zay Flowers, Mark Andrews and Ronnie Stanley. If he can get the stars on board with his coaching philosophy, the sky is the limit for Baltimore’s offense in 2026 and beyond. But if there are any cracks in the relationship — like there seemed to be with Jackson and Monken in 2025 — it’ll handicap the Ravens’ ceiling. Doyle faces a lofty challenge in trying to take an offense from good to great, especially in postseason play. Coaches often view challenges as opportunities, though. For a young coach looking to make his name in the NFL, there are few better opportunities than leading the Ravens’ offense. Can Doyle help lead Baltimore and Jackson to a Super Bowl? That’s going to be the expectation from fans and ownership in the coming seasons. Have a news tip? Contact Brian Wacker at bwacker@baltsun.com, 410-332-6200 and x.com/brianwacker1. View the full article Quote
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