ExtremeRavens Posted yesterday at 08:57 PM Posted yesterday at 08:57 PM Lions coach Dan Campbell made an upward motion with his hand trying articulate the career trajectory for Declan Doyle. Broncos coach Sean Payton flat out called him a future NFL head coach. Doyle is “seasoned beyond his years,” Bears coach Ben Johnson hymned. This week in Indianapolis, host site for the NFL scouting combine, praise for the newly formed Ravens coaching staff felt interminable. Sure, no coach is going to use that platform to degrade another. But the volume of praise, particularly for first-year coach Jesse Minter and Doyle, his first-time play-calling offensive coordinator, speaks to the league-wide respect toward Baltimore’s staff reset. “I expect Jesse to do great things,” Seahawks coach Mike Macdonald said, coming off his first Super Bowl win. “I expect them to be right there and they’re gonna be a team that we have to contend with.” Times are changing for the Ravens. Minter even bestowed verbiage: This is a “new age,” he said, of what it means to “Play like a Raven” – a longstanding organizational mantra. His predecessor took no issue with that. “It should evolve,” said John Harbaugh, the former Ravens coach now heading the New York Giants. “He was his own man in Baltimore when he was young,” Harbaugh said of Minter. “Now he gets the opportunity to be a head coach in a great place. So, I have nothing but love and respect for him. “I think he’s ready.” Last time Minter coached in Baltimore, from 2017 to 2020, he was a defensive assistant learning under Don “Wink” Martindale and Macdonald. In some ways, general manager Eric DeCosta still saw him as that wide-eyed youngster. Chargers general manager Joe Hortiz assured DeCosta during this coaching carousel about Minter’s evolution as a play-caller and leader. DeCosta was sold. He hired him for what is not only an NFL head coaching gig, but to lead the first complete coaching turnover since the team’s inaugural season and ready them for a roster smack in the middle of a championship window. “I think if Jesse is just himself, he’ll be fine,” Hortiz said. “He’ll be able to fill the shoes, and he’ll fill them in his own way.” By Feb. 12, Minter solidified his first NFL staff. He called on Anthony Weaver, a proven commodity who interviewed for several head coaching jobs and has ties to Baltimore, to be defensive coordinator. Minter promoted Anthony Levine Sr., a former Ravens player and assistant coach, to oversee special teams. Doyle is the only coach of the team-leading quartet without previous ties to the organization. He’s the new guy in the room, coming from an offensive coordinator role in Chicago where he ceded play-calling duties to Johnson. There, he helped former No. 1 overall pick Caleb Williams throw for 4,000-plus yards leading the Bears to a No. 2 seed in the playoffs. Minter said folks around the league gushed over the 29-year-old. They affirmed his inclination throughout the interview process. And at the combine this week, coaches continued to rave. “Declan is a phenomenal football coach,” Johnson said. “If you didn’t know that he was 29 years old, you wouldn’t blink an eye. … I’m disappointed that we lost him as quickly as we did. I was hoping that we’d be able to hold onto him for longer.” Campbell worked with Doyle in New Orleans from 2019 to 2020. “Somebody made a comment about how young he seems,” Campbell said this week. Doyle was much younger back then but, according to Campbell, “you would never know it. The questions that he asked, the way that he talked, the information that he gave the players or ideas he had. He was very mature. He had a lot of conviction. Man, understands football, asks the right questions, is always trying to solve problems and when he coaches, you see it. He comes alive.” Chief among the responsibilities for Doyle’s new gig is connecting with two-time Most Valuable Player and similarly aged quarterback Lamar Jackson. Doyle said they’ve spoken periodically and that those conversations have all been productive. It’s up to him to maximize the potential of this Ravens offense. Word around Indianapolis is maybe that won’t be a long-term gig. Payton was asked if Doyle has head coaching potential. “Absolutely,” he said, “and that will be quicker than Baltimore wants.” “Declan was extremely detailed,” Payton added. “It’s hard to get to this position. There’s a journey everyone has, and so there are no shortcuts. He took the journey the right way. … We were fortunate to get him here [in Denver]. Then man, in the blink of an eye, we lost him. Now Chicago lost him. It’s Baltimore’s benefit.” At least, that’s what everyone in Indianapolis this week seems to think. Have a news tip? Contact Sam Cohn at scohn@baltsun.com, 410-332-6200 and x.com/samdcohn.x.com. Sam appears as a host on The Sun’s “Early Birds” podcast. Ravens offensive coordinator Declan Doyle, right, was praised by peers at the NFL scouting combine. The young coach will call offensive plays for the first time in 2026. (Brian Krista/Staff) View the full article Quote
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