Knee-Jerk Reactions: Ravens Hire Declan Doyle as Offensive Coordinator

On Friday afternoon, it was reported by Adam Schefter of ESPN, Jeff Zrebiec of The Athletic, and others that the Baltimore Ravens were going to hire former Chicago Bears offensive coordinator Declan Doyle for the same position in Baltimore.

Can confirm that Ravens are hiring Declan Doyle to be their next offensive coordinator. Believe @AdamSchefter was first.
Doyle met with Jesse Minter and other Ravens officials today in Baltimore where they agreed to deal.

— Jeff Zrebiec (@jeffzrebiec) January 30, 2026

RSR staff react to the hire here.

Nick Polinsky

Declan Doyle is just 29 years old, but has plenty of experience at the NFL coaching level. He was an offensive assistant with the Saints from 2019-22, the Broncos tight ends coach from 2023-24, and most recently the Bears’ offensive coordinator.

He was with Sean Payton in New Orleans from 2019-21, and then Payton brought him to Denver when he took over there.

Although he didn’t call plays in Chicago, the fact that Sean Payton and Ben Johnson were willing to bring him onto staff in his mid 20s speaks volumes. Johnson is one of the great offensive minds in the game, and Payton is one of the great coaches of all time.  Hopefully Doyle was able to learn from those guys.

For Ravens fans learning about new OC: I went deep on Declan Doyle earlier this season.

At 29 years old, Declan will be top offensive coach & call plays for Lamar Jackson. Have a conversation with him, or trace his experience, & you’ll understand why:https://t.co/mI5PYx1gxs

— Jori Epstein (@JoriEpstein) January 30, 2026

Derek Arnold

It was getting a little hairy for a second, wasn’t it? I was personally pretty uncomfortable with the number of Ravens content creators I was watching talk themselves into Kliff Kingsbury this week. Either Doyle, Davis Webb, or Joe Brady were at the top of my list after Mike McDaniel went to LA. If you’re confused about Doyle making a lateral move, remember that Ben Johnson called plays in Chicago, so it’s a promotion in that sense. The Ravens seem committed to staying ahead of the curve with these young minds at the helm, which is great to see in this ever-changing league.

The Bears were 6th in the NFL in total offense this season (10th in passing, 3rd in rushing), and 9th in points scored. Doyle & Johnson had Caleb Williams, who had previously seemed bust-y, looking like…well, like Lamar Jackson.

When Sean Payton says this about you, that’s, as Nick Cage would say, high praise.

“Right away, if you’re a player or a coach, you’re like, ‘This guy knows his s***,’” Payton told Yahoo Sports. “I was saying, ‘Hey, I want to invest a hundred thousand on Declan’s future.’ If he allows me to buy in at a certain [point], I would do that with him.”

Chris Schisler

I like the idea of grabbing an offensive coordinator that studied under Ben Johnson in Chicago. Johnson got the Bears head coaching gig based off an inventive offense with trick plays and a devotion to attacking the whole field. If Doyle mirrors the style of his mentor, Lamar Jackson should see his big plays go up and Derrick Henry should be quite happy. I have balanced expectations. It’s hard to get too excited about a guy who’s never called plays in the NFL. It’s hard not to see that he’s earned his chance and has a solid pedigree. I think this is a move for that Johnson-like philosophy that rocked in Detroit and rolled in Chicago. As a philosophy hire it makes sense. Therefore I’ll give it a chance. Doyle has a chance to prove himself with a two time MVP quarterback, so I’m cautiously optimistic.

Jared Pinder

This is such a sick hire for the Ravens and another A+ by Minter. Doyle is the youngest OC in the NFL and he has worked with offensive minds like Sean Payton and Ben Johnson. While he is a first time play caller, he has done a ton of perpetration before game days so he has the knowledge and experience despite being a very green offensive mind.

This is a amazing hire for the Ravens and Minter continues to provide a breath of fresh air.

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Source: https://russellstreetreport.com/2026/01/30/knee-jerk-reactions/declan-doyle/