The Baltimore Ravens experienced a massive shakeup to the coaching staff after failing to make the playoffs in a disappointing 2025 season. Jesse Minter replaced longtime head coach John Harbaugh at the top and quickly began filling out his new-look coaching staff for 2026. Perhaps the most surprising hire of the offseason was offensive coordinator 29-year-old Declan Doyle, who is replacing a much more experienced coach in Todd Monken.
Doyle spent last season as offensive coordinator of the Chicago
Bears under first-year head coach Ben Johnson. Johnson, regarded as one of the brightest offensive minds in the league, called the plays, meaning this will be Doyle’s first crack at doing so with the Ravens. It is only natural to question whether or not a coach at Doyle’s age with no previous playcalling experience will be ready for such an important role on a team looking to contend right away, but comments from fellow coaches and players so far paint a picture of a coach who is well prepared for the task at hand.
New defensive coordinator Anthony Weaver had high praise for Doyle when asked what stood out about him.
“He is like a human computer,” Weaver said. “When he starts spitting out offensive information and plays from his past, it’s like, he has this Rolodex of plays in his head. He’s almost like he has a photographic memory.”
Pro Bowl wide receiver Zay Flowers was later asked about Weaver’s comments and his experience working with Doyle so far.
“[Declan Doyle] is a genius. He has stuff that I’ve never seen – plays and routes and stuff to help you get open. He teaches you in a certain way where you remember the plays where there’s not too much stress on you. But, he gives you a lot, and he talks fast, too. I’m like, ‘Hey, Coach, chill, chill.’ He is a genius, though. I love it. We’ve been loving it so far.”
Doyle will luckily have a two-time MVP at quarterback as a first-time playcaller, and so far, it appears that Lamar Jackson is a fan of the new offense.
“It’s a different system than what I’m accustomed to being in, and I feel like there’s going to be a lot of explosiveness this year,” Jackson said. “The way [offensive coordinator] Declan [Doyle] calls plays and his creativity with his mind — how detailed he is — it’s mind-blowing. I’m excited.”
The latest episode of Ravens Wired gave fans a closer look at Doyle’s meticulous approach to detail on the field, even down to how the players huddle before plays.
As previously mentioned, Doyle spent his lone season as an NFL offensive coordinator under a head coach who calls plays in Chicago. Before that, Doyle was the tight ends coach for the Denver Broncos under head coach Sean Payton, whom he had served under as an offensive assistant with the New Orleans Saints for three seasons.
