Ben Johnson May Already Have His First Coaching Tree Success in Declan Doyle

Declan Doyle's star appears to be on a meteoric rise. Two years ago, Doyle was the tight ends coach of the Denver Broncos, then he was hired as offensive coordinator of the Chicago Bears despite being only 28 years old. Many fans and analysts question the hiring of such a young coordinator, but Doyle did well enough that he accepted the offensive coordinator position with the Baltimore Ravens in January, costing Ben Johnson an important part of his coaching staff.

Now in Baltimore, Doyle has the opportunity to prove himself even further as a play-caller (Johnson calls the plays in Chicago). It may only be June, but he appears to have already made a strong impression. Wide receiver Zay Flowers spoke to the Ravens media on Tuesday, and he had nothing but good things to say about Doyle. "He is a genius. He got stuff that I've never seen," Flowers said in a video posted by Ravens reporter Bobby Trossett. "Plays and routes and stuff to help you get open. He teaches you in a certain way where you remember the plays... I've been loving it so far."

Flowers also raved about Doyle's mentality, saying, "[Doyle] ain't playing, but he a dawg. You can just get that vibe from him... He's ready to go, he's ready to dial it up. He wants the offense to be the best offense in the league, and that's how he coaches."

Baltimore Ravens WR Zay Flowers after a game against the Green Bay Packers. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-Imagn Images | Jeff Hanisch-Imagn Images

Declan Doyle may be the first coach in Ben Johnson's tree

That description should sound familiar to Bears fans. That's exactly the kind of coaching that Ben Johnson brought to the Bears last year, and it appears to have stuck with Doyle. Bears fans will remember stories from last year about how Johnson conducted his OTA practices and training camp. He famously threw the starting offense off the field for failing to get a play right, and he also pulled Luther Burden from a drill when he failed to align properly. Johnson demands perfection because he wants to build a dynasty in Chicago, and Doyle appears to be following in his footsteps.

But it's not just Ben Johnson's intensity that Doyle appears to have brought with him to Baltimore. As aforementioned, Flowers praised the designs and route concepts that Doyle is drawing up in OTAs, even going so far as to say it's stuff that he's never seen. That's high praise indeed coming from a player who's spent three years in one of the most explosive offenses in the NFL.

Doyle's career is still young, and the 29-year-old offensive coordinator has yet to run a game as the offensive play-caller, but early returns look promising. If he can show success early in the season, it may then be appropriate to speculate whether we're seeing the first flowering of the Ben Johnson coaching tree.

Chicago Bears offensive coordinator Declan Doyle answers questions at Halas Hall. Mandatory Credit: David Banks-Imagn Images | David Banks-Imagn Images

The Bottom Line

Unfortunately, the Baltimore Ravens are not part of the Chicago Bears' 2026 schedule, so we will not get to see the classic 'teacher vs student' showdown between Ben Johnson and Declan Doyle. But Doyle has all the appearances of a budding young superstar in the NFL coaching world, and a good deal for that credit should go Johnson. Johnson didn't just give Doyle his first big role in the NFL but helped mentor the young coach throughout the 2025 season.

Bears fans have waited decades for their next great head coach, and Johnson seems to already fit that bill. Now, for the first time in franchise history, the Bears may even have the kind of head coach whose coordinators become the hottest head coaching candidates, like Sean McVay or Kyle Shanahan.

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