The Chicago Bears have seen a drain of one of their most valued assets, the coaching staff under Ben Johnson.
First, running backs coach Eric Bieniemy left for the Kansas City Chiefs, where he will return to his past as offensive coordinator. Then, assistant general manager Ian Cunningham left for the big chair with the Atlanta Falcons, which affects Ryan Poles more than Johnson.
Now, Johnson is losing another member of his staff from his side of the ball.
Bears’ Ben Johnson Loses Valued Contributor
Declan Doyle Leaves Bears for Ravens
After a quiet couple of days on the coaching staff front, Johnson and the Bears got unfortunate news.
“ESPN sources: the Baltimore Ravens are hiring Bears offensive coordinator Declan Doyle as their offensive coordinator,” ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported on X on January 30. “Doyle can leave because, in Baltimore, he will have play-calling responsibility. But new Ravens HC Jesse Minter now has someone to run Baltimore’s offense.”
Schefter noted Doyle and Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson are both 29 years old.
Doyle was a candidate for the Philadelphia Eagles OC vacancy but withdrew his name from consideration, just as the Ravens emerged as a suitor. The Chicago Tribune’s Brad Biggs reported that the Bears were “relatively confident” that Doyle would return after that.
Instead, Doyle moves on from Caleb Williams to Jackson and the Ravens, who defeated the Bears in Week 8 of this past season.
There, the former Denver Broncos and New Orleans Saints assistant will call plays.
It will be Doyle’s first time as a play-caller, but he comes from working under two of the more highly regarded ones in Johnson and Broncos head coach Sean Payton. Doyle has also drawn strong reviews for his communication skills.
Doyle will operate under another first-time head coach in new Ravens HC Jesse Minter, who returns after stints in college and with the Los Angeles Chargers.
Declan Doyle Faces New Challenge
There are other noteworthy similarities between Doyle’s new post and his old one. Notably, he is working with another QB who has seen turnover around him before.
“Doyle’s challenge will be to get Jackson and the Ravens’ offense back on track. Last season, Jackson averaged 196.1 yards passing and threw 21 touchdown passes, both of which were his fewest since 2022,” ESPN’s Jamison Hensley wrote on January 30.
“This marks the fourth offensive coordinator for Jackson, who is entering his ninth NFL season.”
Hensley noted that Jackson earned MVP honors after the Ravens’ last two OC changes. That could take Doyle’s career to yet another level in a short amount of time.
Bears Have Options
Johnson calls plays on game days, so there will be no changes for Williams and the Bears in that regard.
There are also several intriguing candidates to fill the void on the current staff, from passing game coordinator Press Taylor to quarterbacks coach J.T. Barrett to wide receivers coach Antwaan Randle El, the latter of whom is also the Bears’ assistant head coach.
Of course, moving one of those individuals could just be creating another hole.
Meanwhile, the Bears still need to find their next running backs coach, adjust to life without Cunningham, and prepare to address their roster this offseason.