Ravens offensive coordinator Declan Doyle expressed confidence that he will be able to get the best out of Lamar Jackson while admitting that the quarterback has areas to improve
11:10 ET, 19 Feb 2026
Lamar Jackson warms up on the field
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Lamar Jackson struggled through an injury-riddled 2025 campaign(Image: Getty Images)
Newly-hired Ravens offensive coordinator Declan Doyle conceded that Lamar Jackson “still has room to grow” as the star quarterback looks to rebound from a disappointing 2025 campaign.
This past season, Jackson and the Ravens fell short of the postseason following an 8-9 regular season capped off by a gut-wrenching loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 18. Baltimore enacted no shortage of changes on the heels of the late collapse, promptly firing head coach John Harbaugh and bringing in Jesse Minter to take his place.
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Throughout the turmoil, however, the Ravens reaffirmed their commitment in Jackson, who completed 192-of-302 passes for 2,549 yards, 21 touchdowns and seven interceptions while also rushing 67 times for 349 yards and another two scores over 13 games.
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While Jackson failed to replicate his past success from prior years during an injury-riddled 2025, Doyle believes he still possesses all the skills and tangibles to be one of the best passers in the NFL.
It also helps that the last two times the Ravens implemented an offensive coordinator change in 2019 and 2023, the 29-year-old took home the NFL MVP award.
"When you watch the tape, there's not really any throws that he can't make," Doyle said while making an appearance on ‘The Lounge’ podcast. "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."
Declan Doyle speaks at a Bears press conference
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Declan Doyle praised Lamar Jackson's intangibles and skills(Image: Getty Images)
Given Doyle’s blistering rise through the coaching tree, it would hardly come as a surprise if he’s able to get the best out of Jackson.
The Iowa City native was hired as a Saints offensive assistant right out of college in 2019 before serving as a Broncos tight ends coach from 2023-2024 and Bears offensive coordinator in 2025, during which he didn’t call plays for Chicago.
But as Doyle noted moments later, it will take some time to win over Jackson’s trust. At 29 years old, he is not only the youngest play-caller in the NFL, but also less than a year older than his signal-caller.
"That trust is going to be earned through time," Doyle said while discussing his relationship with Jackson. "It's not like I can call up Lamar and say, 'Hey, I need you to trust me.'
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“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."