The former Chicago Bears coordinator credits an influential mentor for reshaping his offensive logic as he prepares to call plays for the Baltimore Ravens this season.
After the kind of season the Chicago Bears had last year, it was natural that their assistant coaches would start to field calls for jobs in the offseason.
The Bears lost running backs coach Eric Bieniemy to the Kansas City Chiefs, as he returned for another shot as their offensive coordinator.
Defensive backs coach Al Harris was linked to the Green Bay Packers defensive coordinator opening after Jeff Hafley left to be the next head coach of the Miami Dolphins.
The Packers instead hired former Arizona Cardinals HC and Philadelphia Eagles DC Jonathan Gannon. Harris was then linked to the Pittsburgh Steelers DC job, with his former head coach, Mike McCarthy, as HC.
At the end of the day, Harris returned to the Bears after not getting that job, and fans rejoiced.
The Bears wouldn't come out without a major loss, however.
Bears OC Declan Doyle interviewed with the Eagles for their opening at the same position, but didn't get it. He then left for the Baltimore Ravens, joining Jesse Minter's staff.
One of the main reasons Doyle left was that he couldn't call plays with the Bears. He has the opportunity to do that with the Ravens.
Doyle recently reflected on his time with the Bears in a conversation with Ravens insider Ryan Mink. He said that Ben Johnson was arguably the best coach he's ever worked with.
He is brilliant, he's detailed," Doyle said. "He made me view football in a completely different lens – from the spacing of the field, the spacing of the passing game. He taught me more about football in a year than … he's arguably the best coach I've ever been around. He's probably the most influential person that I've been around. In addition to it, my relationship with him is like he was the older brother I never had. I felt like he was the closest thing to myself that I've ever been around in coaching, in just how he approaches the game, how he felt about offense, his logic."
For reference, let's look at some of the places Doyle has worked since getting into coaching.
He started out as a student assistant with the Iowa Hawkeyes in 2016. There, he got to work with Kirk Ferentz, who is the longest-tenured head coach in college football.
Doyle was there for three seasons before getting his first NFL job with the New Orleans Saints in 2019 as an offensive assistant. The Saints were still coached by Sean Payton at that point, who is one of the best offensive minds in the sport.
He then joined the Denver Broncos in 2023 as their tight ends coach. After two more years learning from Payton, Doyle landed at the Bears in 2025.
The coaches that Doyle has worked for in the past are no slouches. The fact that Doyle believes Johnson is the best he's been around is saying something.
If this past offseason was any indication, don't be surprised if even more Bears assistants are getting calls for jobs.
