New Ravens OC Declan Doyle: Lamar Jackson Has 'Even Higher Ceiling to His Game'

Baltimore Ravens superstar Lamar Jackson is already among the premier quarterbacks in the NFL, but his new offensive coordinator, Declan Doyle, thinks that there's another gear for the two-time league MVP to kick it into. "When you watch the tape, there's not really any throws that he can't make," Doyle said about Jackson in an interview with "The Lounge," Baltimore's in-house podcasting platform. "He's very arm-talented. I think there's even a higher ceiling to his game. You're looking at a guy that's been the MVP twice. And yet, I still think, just like all our guys, he still has room to grow. "It's a surreal opportunity, and yet it's one that I feel very ready to do." Jackson's 2025 campaign was sidetracked by a Week 4 hamstring injury and a Week 16 back injury. In the 13 games he appeared in, Jackson totaled 2,549 passing yards, 21 passing touchdowns, seven interceptions and a 103.8 passer rating, while completing 63.6% of his passes. He rushed for a career-low 349 yards and two scores. The three-time All-Pro posted a career-high in passing yards (4,172), passing touchdowns (41) and passer rating (119.6) the year prior (2024), while rushing for 915 yards — Jackson's most rushing yards in a single season since 2020. As for Jackson's new playcaller, Doyle was the offensive coordinator for the Chicago Bears last season under head coach Ben Johnson, who called plays. Doyle was previously the tight ends coach for the Denver Broncos from 2023-24, an offensive assistant for the New Orleans Saints from 2019-22 and a student assistant at Iowa from 2016-18; he attended Iowa during that span. This will be Doyle's first crack at being an offensive playcaller. "That trust is going to be earned through time," Doyle said about developing a relationship with Jackson. "It's not like I can call up Lamar and say, 'Hey, I need you to trust me.' We'll earn that over time, and it's really going to be a two-way street. He's got to earn my trust, [and] I have to earn his trust, and that goes for every player that we have. "It's a huge piece of what we envision here. Trust is built off communication and accountability to that communication. Accountability is us saying something and doing what we say." Jackson and Doyle are each 29 years old. The offensive coordinator change for the Ravens comes in the wake of the team firing longtime head coach John Harbaugh after 18 seasons and an 8-9 season that saw them miss the playoffs for the first time since 2021. Todd Monken, who's now the head coach of the Cleveland Browns, was Baltimore's offensive coordinator from 2023-25. Former Los Angeles Chargers defensive coordinator Jesse Minter, who coached under Harbaugh with the Ravens from 2017-20, was named Baltimore's new head coach in January.