Chicago Bears head coach Ben Johnson will have another top offensive assistant to replace on his coaching staff for the 2026 season after the latest hiring news.
According to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero, the Baltimore Ravens have agreed to hire Bears offensive coordinator Declan Doyle to the same position on new head coach Jesse Minter’s coaching staff for the 2026 season. The move will give Doyle the same title but will also give him the opportunity to call the plays, which Johnson handles in Chicago.
“The Bears could’ve blocked Declan Doyle from leaving for the same title,” Pelissero added to his initial report on X on January 30. “But they granted Doyle permission to speak with the [Philadelphia] Eagles, then the Ravens, who now are hiring him.”
Doyle became the young offensive coordinator in the modern NFL last offseason when Johnson hired him away from Sean Payton’s staff in Denver to join him in Chicago. He also worked with Johnson to engineer a significant turnaround in the production of the Bears offense, which finished top 10 in every major category during the 2025 season.
Now, Johnson must find a new offensive coordinator to lend him a hand with the Bears in 2026, whether that is an outside candidate or an internal promotion from his staff.
If Doyle Thrives With Ravens, He Might Keep Moving
Doyle is taking the next step in his coaching progression with his move to Baltimore. He will now call the shots on offense for the defensive-minded Minter and have a big role in trying to help two-time NFL MVP quarterback Lamar Jackson bounce back in 2026.
If Doyle exceeds expectations with the Ravens in 2026, though, do not expect him to stay put for long as one of the faster-rising assistant coaches in the league recently. He could receive interest as a head-coaching candidate as soon as the 2027 offseason.
The Ravens are not the only team that interviewed Doyle for an OC position with play-calling duties after one year on the job in Chicago. He also interviewed for the OC job on Nick Sirianni’s staff in Philadelphia, but he later took himself out of consideration.
Doyle might not have liked the optics on the Philly job. The Eagles have had a different offensive coordinator in each of their last four seasons, firing two of them. Even with the opportunity to call plays for Jalen Hurts and Saquon Barkley, it is a risky venture.
Nevertheless, the Eagles’ interest speaks to the reputation that Doyle is building around the league as a rising offensive mind with endorsements from Johnson and Payton.
Bears Must Also Find New RB Coach for 2026 Season
While Doyle is a significant loss as one of Johnson’s three coordinators, he is not the only top assistant that he must replace before diving too deep into the 2026 offseason.
Last week, the Kansas City Chiefs — another AFC contender — also poached Bears running backs coach Eric Bieniemy from Johnson’s coaching staff, rehiring him as their offensive coordinator after declining to extend Matt Nagy’s contract. Bieniemy held the OC role with the Chiefs from 2018 to 2022 before joining Washington for a title bump.
Bieniemy might prove easier to replace than Doyle as a position coach, but he had a big hand in the Bears touting the third-ranking rushing offense in 2025. Veteran starter D’Andre Swift rushed for 1,087 yards and nine touchdowns, both career highs, while seventh-round rookie Kyle Monangai broke out with a complementary 783 yards.
The Chicago Tribune’s Brad Biggs floated former Dolphins running backs coach Eric Studesville — who had success working with De’Von Achane in Miami — and Duce Staley as potential candidates to replace Bieniemy on Johnson’s staff, but it is unclear if Johnson is currently eyeing either coach for the position.
Ben Johnson Loses Rising Star Bears Assistant to AFC Contender