Baltimore’s new offensive coordinator, Declan Doyle, has one of the most attractive first-time gigs in football. He inherits Lamar Jackson, Derrick Henry, an All-Pro tight end in Mark Andrews, and an offensive line that finally has continuity for the first time in four years.
The floor for this offense is top-five in the league. The question is whether Doyle can raise the ceiling.
Doyle comes to Baltimore after several seasons in Denver, where he built his reputation as one of the sharper young play-callers in the league. His system leans on pre-snap motion, quick game concepts, and a heavy dose of RPOs that lean into a mobile quarterback’s decision-making.
That is a very good fit for what Lamar Jackson has always done best.
The concern with Doyle is not scheme. It is game management. He has never called a game with a lead like the Ravens will hold in the second half of games this year. Baltimore historically wants to control clock, protect Jackson, and hand the ball to Henry 25 times a game when it is winning. A coordinator who came up in a pass-first system has to learn to lean into that identity when the situation calls for it.
Todd Monken did a nice job of balancing that push and pull the last two years. Doyle needs to replicate it or the Ravens are going to blow some fourth-quarter leads that end up mattering in January.
The pieces around Jackson have never been better. Zay Flowers is entering his fourth year and is one of the most explosive route runners in the AFC. Rashod Bateman finally stayed healthy last season and looked like the vertical threat the Ravens drafted him to be. Andrews is still one of the top three tight ends in the game. Henry gives them a hammer that no defense wants to see in November snow.
What has been missing is a consistent third receiver and a plan for when Jackson is asked to sit in the pocket for 30-plus attempts. Doyle’s Denver system was built to solve exactly those problems, using motion to get free releases and quick-hitters to bail out protection issues.
My prediction is that this offense finishes top-three in DVOA. Jackson is still the best mobile passer in football, the run game is elite, and Doyle brings modern spacing concepts that will get Flowers matched up on safeties three or four times a game.
The real test is January. Baltimore has been to two AFC Championships in the last three years and lost both. Doyle needs to have a bye-week script that can beat Kansas City or Buffalo in a game where Jackson takes 40 dropbacks. That is the specific gap that has kept the Ravens from a Super Bowl.
John Harbaugh made a bet that a young, hungry mind was worth more than a retread. It usually is. Doyle has the players, the system, and the runway to prove it right.
Watch the third-and-medium calls in September. If Baltimore is picking up sticks with easy-completion designs, this offense is going to be a nightmare all year.
A longtime sports reporter, Carlos Garcia has written about some of the biggest and most notable athletic events of the last 5 years. He has been credentialed to cover MLS, NBA and MLB games all over the United States. His work has been published on Fox Sports, Bleacher Report, AOL and the Washington Post.