He was hired to be the anti-Todd Monken, but new Baltimore Ravens offensive coordinator Declan Doyle actually shares a key trait with his predecessor. A similarity that could impact the “abstract” way franchise quarterback Lamar Jackson is used in Doyle’s system.
The parallel between how new Cleveland Browns head coach Monken and ex-Chicago Bears OC Doyle approach dealing with a dual-threat athlete at football’s most important position is outlined by Sports Illustrated’s Conor Orr.
He pointed out how “Monken was great at understanding the abstract nature in which Lamar Jackson approaches a given play. Doyle spent last season in Chicago, where he watched Johnson transition from the Lions and Jared Goff to a similarly abstract-thinking passer in Caleb Williams (abstract in that these quarterbacks may eschew a certain designed route because of their internal confidence in pushing the ball further downfield, or a belief in their own athleticism and their ability to create a play elsewhere).”
It’s a noteworthy comparison, but a curious one, since the Ravens essentially hired Doyle to put a stronger structure around Jackson’s mercurial talents. A supporting framework based on two core concepts to help ease the pressure on the Ravens’ best asset.
Declan Doyle to Flip the Todd Monken Script
Those concepts involve putting Jackson under center more often and making play-action passing fundamental to his game. It’s no-small change from what Monken had Jackson do, which was to rely largely on playing out of the ‘pistol’ or ‘shotgun’ formations and use RPO-style play designs.
Jackson ran 169 RPOs on Monken’s watch, but just 102 play-action attempts the last two seasons, according to Pro Football Reference. Doyle’s desire to make the offense more unpredictable is why there’s still so much uncertainty about what the unit will look under the first-year play-caller.
GettyDoyle’s ability to refine Williams’ game is expected to benefit Jackson and the Ravens.
The sense of the unknown is compounded by the fact Doyle didn’t call the plays for the Bears under head coach Ben Johnson. Yet, Doyle still played a vital role in the Bears’ transformation from worst to first in the NFC North last season.
It’s why the 29-year-old is considered a rising star who the Ravens have already been warned about losing. That’s the risk if Doyle instantly elevates the Ravens’ offense beyond the unit which ranked 16th in yards and 11th in points during Monken’s final season on the headset.
Perhaps the only thing stopping Doyle from making improvement is not having the one advantage he enjoyed in Chicago in 2025.
Ravens Potentially Missing Key Ingredient for Revival on Offense
A big reason Doyle and Williams revived the Bears’ offense so quickly was a major revamp of the offensive line. Guards Joe Thuney and Jonah Jackson were added to the starting group, along with center Drew Dalman, and the trio provided the foundation for Johnson and Doyle’s success.
As Orr made clear, “Baltimore has not made a similar, sweeping investment in the offensive line that Johnson has enjoyed in both Detroit and Chicago.” That’s true to a point, although the Ravens did use their first-round pick in the 2026 NFL draft to select beefy guard Vega Ioane, just over a month after bringing back interior veteran John Simpson in free agency.
General manager Eric DeCosta also added a former Browns starter to a revamped depth chart at center. The group also includes newcomers Danny Pinter and Jovaughn Gwyn.
There are more than a few new faces, but Ioane aside, it’s fair to say the Ravens haven’t beefed up Jackson’s blockers with marquee talent. It leaves questions about how well this O-line will hold up in front of a quarterback who was pressured 23.6 percent of the time when he dropped back to pass last season, the second-highest mark of his career.
GettyThe Ravens might not have enough elite blockers to protect Jackson.
Doyle needs the line to hold up because he’s no longer indulging a dynamic young passer’s brazen willingness to play off-script. Jackson is 29, auditioning for a new contract and has finished a full season just once in his career.
Indulging Jackson the way Monken did isn’t the job description for Doyle. It’s about making a dynamic veteran play smarter and more efficiently.
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