​One of the trickier aspects of hiring promising young assistants is recognizing that real progress often comes with a price tag. The Baltimore Ravens are counting on new offensive coordinator Declan Doyle to unlock another level in Lamar Jackson’s game and to restore one of the NFL’s top offenses to elite status. If that happens, though, Doyle might not stay in Baltimore for long. That possibility is what ESPN’s Ben Solak Signaled in a recent examination of the NFL’s fresh batch of coordinators for the 2026 season. In his breakdown, Solak highlighted the Ravens’ new OC as one of the league’s most compelling play-callers and suggested that Doyle could quickly become a candidate for an NFL head coaching opportunity.
Solak frames this trend as part of a broader pattern: the NFL has recently rewarded young offensive minds with head coaching jobs at a rapid pace. Names such as Sean McVay, Kyle Shanahan, Matt LaFleur, Kevin O’Connell, Zac Taylor, and Ben Johnson have all ascended to prominent roles in recent offseasons, and Doyle could join that growing list. At 29, Doyle arrives with a pedigree that includes time learning under Sean Payton and a recent stint with Ben Johnson on the Chicago Bears staff. Now he inherits what may be the league’s most advantageous luxury for any first-time play caller: Lamar Jackson.
Solak posits that if Doyle lives up to his rising-reputation as an innovative and rapidly advancing offensive mind, interview opportunities for head coaching could materialize as soon as this offseason ends. Yet the path won’t be simple. Solak points out that Doyle isn’t merely coordinating a new system; he’s implementing one of the most meticulously structured offenses in the NFL while also mentoring a unit that has had to cope with the absence of Pro Bowl center Tyler Linderbaum, who departed in free agency and left behind a shift in pre-snap responsibilities. That scenario places extra onus on Jackson and a shifting offensive line as they acclimate to new starters.
Baltimore, however, has reasons for optimism. Solak expresses confidence in Jackson’s ability to manage the increased demands, suggesting that the two-time MVP is a sharper pre-snap processor than many observers recognize. Still, the success of the installation hinges on all 11 players functioning as a cohesive unit. “The Ravens’ floor on offense is very high given their quarterback… Their ceiling belongs to Doyle,” Solak asserts. That observation may capture the essence of the situation: no one doubts Jackson’s capacity to craft offense, but the evaluative question for 2026 centers on whether Doyle can elevate one of the NFL’s most talented rosters from a formidable unit to something approaching unstoppable.
If Doyle proves up to the task, Ravens fans might indeed relish a period of exciting, high-powered offense. Yet even as that potential materializes, the ripple effects are clear: the league’s other contenders will be watching closely, and offers from across the NFL could begin to arrive for the architect who has helped shape a franchise’s next great chapter. If Doyle’s transition from promising young play-caller to proven head-coaching prospect accelerates as Solak predicts, Baltimore’s rise could be as much about Doyle’s trajectory as about the team’s existing talent. And for general managers and owners elsewhere, the prospect of landing a hot, rapidly ascending offensive mind could become an increasingly enticing pursuit, especially if Doyle’s system proves transformative for a quarterback as dynamic as Jackson.
This content originated with Ravens Wire and examines the expectation that Declan Doyle’s tenure in Baltimore may be brief if his offenses fire on all cylinders and demonstrate game-changing potential.